


Oh Captain, My Captain

by Alternate8reality



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, Based loosely on Below Deck, Control, F/F, Lesbian, Light BDSM, Love, Power Play, Regina Mills / Emma Swan - Freeform, Swan Queen Supernova 2019 (Once Upon a Time), Teasing, Two tops, Yachting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-11-02 07:34:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 67,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20669714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alternate8reality/pseuds/Alternate8reality
Summary: Captain Emma Swan receives a private charter assignment she will not soon forget. Meeting the high standards of Vegas hotelier, Regina Mills, is going to take more than a couple of nice meals and pretty sunsets but she's never been one to shy away from a challenge. Taking orders has never been their strong suit, so the question remains of who outranks who; the Captain or her Mistress?





	1. The White Witch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Megabucks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megabucks/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Seaborne Surrender (fanart/manip)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20356594) by [redwooddragon7](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redwooddragon7/pseuds/redwooddragon7). 

> This is my first published story so please be kind. It is based on the characters Regina Mills and Emma Swan of Once Upon a Time and the reality TV show Below Deck, only in that it takes place on a luxury yacht. 
> 
> I know nothing about the yachting industry and did little to no research, so don't bother coming at me about knots per hour and wind velocities. Lol! 
> 
> Thank you to my awesome friends, @hufflepufflovespizza, @megabucks and @warriorsq22 for being the best cheerleaders and sprinting partners anyone could ask for. Please go check out their fics too, they are incredible!
> 
> Thank you to my amazing artist redwooddragon7! Check out the beautiful artwork she created for this fic in the link 
> 
> Thank you sqsn mods too, for running this amazing explosion of content.
> 
> This story is for Meghan. My light in the dark, and the smile on my face. Every word I've ever written: inspired by, encouraged by, created for: you. 💙

Mr. Dorsen, 

_ As previously explained, I am leaving you in the capable hands of my most trusted associate and expect no issues to arise due to my absence. Your contract specifically states that I may substitute my presence with an appropriate associate and I will not entertain any further debate on the matter. You are welcome to take your business elsewhere if you are unsatisfied. Do not contact me again; this conversation is over. _

_Mme. Mills _

  
Seated in the backseat of the sleek, black limo, laptop balanced on one knee, the brunette's fingers deftly flew over the keys responding to an email from a rather annoying client. Pushing send with a satisfying click of the mousepad, her attention turned to her buzzing phone.

  
“What.” She quipped sharply, having seen it was from the front desk of the hotel.

  
“Oh, Ms. Mills, I’m so glad I caught you before you boarded. I was worried you may be out of range already and..” her assistant spoke too rapidly for Regina’s taste. She much preferred people who took the time to think about what they were going to say before spewing verbal diarrhea on their way to the point. Not that it mattered, most of her assistants lasted less than two months so she’d be sure to be rid of this one shortly.

“There’s an issue with Mrs. Pender’s account--”  


“Why are you calling me from the front desk, and not your cell phone, Miss Blanchard?” Regina’s tone akin to ice. “Did I not give you that phone specifically to contact me when required?”

  
“I..uh..there was an incident with the phone this morning, Ms. Mills. I’m so sorry. My dog needed to go out and, well It’s a long story, but I promise--”  


“That will come directly out of your paycheck, Miss Blanchard, along with its replacement. If you have another _ incident _you can consider it your last.”  


“Yes, ma’am. I’m so sorry, it’s just that when I got to work this morning--”  


“Will you be getting to the point of this interruption some time today, dear?” Her voice lacked the saccharine tone one might expect with the term of endearment. “What is the issue with the client account?”  


Regina sighed as she listened for another minute, her assistant rambling on about a mix-up of dates and room numbers. “Just switch her to Ruby’s docket for the evening and I’m sure she will be fine. I assume that will solve your crisis?”  


“Oh... Yes, ma’am. I should have thought of that, I’m so sorry to have--” Regina hung up, cutting her off without another word. Sighing for at least the third time this morning, she massaged her temples with the tips of her fingers. She really did need this time off.   


Vacation. A completely foreign concept to Regina Mills, owner and proprietor of the Cortland Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas. Not many thirty-eight year old women could say they had built a small empire and amassed the kind of fortune Regina had by her age, and she certainly hadn’t done it by taking frequent vacations. This would be her first in well...her first.  


She was often described by her few trusted colleagues as unrelenting, determined and a bit of a workaholic. She was often described by her employees as demanding, ruthless and a bit of a bitch. She didn’t mind any of these adjectives applied to her in person, or behind her back, as she owed her success in life to those exact qualities. One learned early that in order to compete in the cutthroat city of Vegas as a hoteliere, the ability to command a room was essential, and Regina Mills, wore control like a second skin.  
  
Closing her laptop with a snap and stowing her phone as she felt the car coming to a stop, she checked her watch. 10:30AM. They were early. Very early. _ This little vacation cost me more than a small house . I should be permitted to board when ready-- _The intercom from the driver buzzed: “We have arrived at the dock, Ma’am.”  


“Yes, Thank you, David.”   


“Shall I... get your things, Ma’am?” he asked hesitantly as he opened her door a moment later.   


Regina rolled her eyes while collecting her belongings. “No, David, I wish to board the vessel and leave my bags here in the car.” Her voice was a contradictory sweet and heavy with sarcasm.  


“Uh...okay, yes, Ma’am”  


_ Christ almighty. _ Sighing heavily...again, Regina placed a four inch Manolo Blahnik on the dock. Stepping out of the car fully she regarded her regular driver, David--last name not important-- with a withering look. “Get the bags, David.”   


Regina could practically see his brain working through the conflicting commands but as she opened her mouth to slice him to the bone, those overworked synapses finally caught up and he scurried to the back of the vehicle to begin unloading her matching set of indigo Louis Vuitton.  


The yacht was beautiful. _ The White Witch _. The name amused her and was part of the reason it caught her attention on the charter list Miss Blanchard had sent her from the travel agent. Judging by the look of the 157 foot vessel in front of her, Regina thought this could prove to be an enjoyable few days after all and perhaps her assistant was not quite as inept as she suspected. 

  
Picking up her briefcase, not waiting for David who was still struggling to unload the rest of her things, Regina strode with confidence to the gangway and boarded the ship.

**  
********** **

  
Emma sat in the crew mess below deck studying the preference sheet through thick rimmed black glasses she rarely wore. _ This is going to be a nightmare. _She read through the unending list of specifications for the charter.   


It was only for a week though, should be no big deal. Plus it was only one person, should be easy_ . Who the fuck requires ten-thousand dollar Gucci silk sheets? What...is “Regina Mills” an alias for the queen of England or something? _ She had had to arrange to have the sheets flown in from Milan yesterday at the okay of her boss. Whoever this big shot hotel/casino owner was, Emma knew she had paid big bucks for this private charter and that she would expect everything to be perfect. 

  
Perfect was Captain Emma Swan’s specialty. _ The White Witch _ was known for catering to the most demanding of clients. The owner of the super yacht prided himself on being able to provide every charter guest with an above and beyond experience and his first line of defense was his chosen captain of four years. 

  
In private circles that she had no desire to be a part of, Emma had her own reputation that matched the name of her assigned vessel. Being one of very few females in a male dominated position would be difficult enough, but as one of the youngest captains in the industry she faced her fair share of murmured comments regarding her “magical” advancement. 

  
Four years ago, at only thirty-one years of age, Emma had been promoted to captain but it had little to do with “magic”. She had a perfectionist streak that served her well in impressing the people that mattered and she knew when to hold her tongue and when to use it to her benefit. In short however, to put it in layman’s terms: she took no shit. Emma Swan had grown up taking orders and had delivered on a promise she made to herself at only fifteen years of age that someday she would be the one giving them. 

  
This was going to be a unique scenario though and she prayed her patience would hold out. This was not supposed to be a week at sea and when Nick had called with this last minute charter client, she reminded him of the fact that the boat was only manned by a skeleton crew consisting of herself, her head engineer Tom, and her bosun Matt, not its usual fifteen crew members. 

  
Nick was sympathetic, managing to get her another last minute deckhand for the week but insisted she could/would have to get by without a head chef and an interior stewardess team. “Come on, Em, it’s just one filthy rich woman. I know you can swing this for me. Besides you’re an amazing cook and I doubt she’ll need much babysitting.” The idea of dealing directly with the charter guest on a daily basis was not exactly appealing but it certainly wasn’t impossible. Working her way through the ranks, Emma had held nearly every position on a boat at one time or another save maybe head engineer. Additionally learning that the woman had paid double the normal rate (_ Holy Shit) _Emma resigned herself to the upcoming week of hell. 

_  
Maybe it won’t be as bad as it looks. _Looking over the preference sheet of demands from fresh Italian figs (_flown in with the sheets yesterday...check_) to uninterrupted wi-fi access (_she knew this was a boat, right?_) to exact meal times and nightly turn-down service specifications down to the type of mint she wanted left on her pillow (_Jesus Christ, lady_) Emma had a feeling this _was_ going to be as bad as it looked. 

  
It was 10:00AM. Boarding time for “the queen” wasn’t until 1:00PM thankfully, and after checking everything was in place and speaking with Tom about the weather and itinerary, Emma decided the best way to get ahead of the upcoming stress was with a quick workout in the crew gym. “Gym” being a generous term for the treadmill and one set of free weights shoved into a corner below deck. There were nicer accommodations for the clients on board with an elliptical and other equipment but Emma preferred the crew area even on days when no one was on board.

**  
************

  
Breathing hard as she finished up her third mile to the thumping bass of Kanye’s _ Who Gon Stop Me, _Emma could feel the tension leaving her body with each strike of her heel as the treads spun quickly under her feet. 

  
As Regina Mills boarded the yacht, noticing a distinct lack of crew members, her disappointed frown grew deeper with each interior area she found empty. Hearing something God-awful in the way of music coming from below deck, she descended a narrow set of stairs, briefcase still in hand, wincing at the increasing volume of the rap (more like crap, in her opinion) accosting her ears. 

  
Reaching the bottom of the steps, surveying the small space quickly, her eyes settled on the shape of the jogging blonde from behind, unable to keep from noticing how her calf muscles and glutes flexed with each stride. Licking her lower lip after enjoying the show from this obvious proletariat for a moment, Regina spotted the offending speaker system and used one perfectly manicured finger to flick the power off. 

  
Sudden silence throwing off Emma’s pace, she whipped her head around and almost lost her balance in the process. “What the fu—?” 

  
Unfazed by the display of agility, or lack there of in front of her, Regina’s frown turned to disdain as she locked eyes with the younger woman in front of her. “Is it not customary to greet guests when they arrive on board?” As Emma’s mouth fell open her eyes raked down the form standing at the bottom of the stairs. A crisp white shirt with the top two buttons undone was tucked into perfectly fitted black slacks separated by a thin black and gold belt. Slender fingers crossed over one another clasped what had to be a thousand dollar minimum, leather briefcase in front of her thighs. _ Holy hot--are those four inch heels? On a fucking boat? I swear to God, if she scratched the deck—_

_  
“ _Close your mouth, dear, and since you seem confused, run along and fetch your Captain. Tell him that Regina Mills has arrived.” 

  
Turning on her heel she ascended the steps without waiting for a reply as Emma stared after her. _ Did she just...? Shit. What the hell? Who the fuck does this woman think she is? What time is it? Where the fuck is Matt? _Grabbing her walkie she pressed the call button and paged the bosun. 

  
“What’s up, Cap?” She didn’t mind his casual tone off charter but when she answered him sharply his demeanor changed immediately. 

  
“The charter guest has arrived. Get up to the deck and start showing her around the ship. And, Matt…tell her to take those fucking heels off on my boat.” 

  
“Yes, Captain.” 

  
Emma sighed as she hurried through her two minute shower, which should have been a leisurely twenty. _ What kind of audacity do you have to have to show up over two hours early? Okay, it doesn’t matter; head in the game. _Tying her hair up in a high ponytail, checking to make sure her epaulets and tie were straight, she grabbed her captain’s hat, placing it under one arm and headed up to the deck with a practiced smile pasted on her lips. 

  
As Emma exited the interior, it was clear that Regina Mills had Matt in a rather uncomfortable position with the backs of his legs against the railing, his torso leaning backwards ever so slightly over it, in an effort to put some space between himself and the finger currently jutting into his chest. 

  
“I specifically instructed that feckless little twit to inform the Captain of my arrival, and she sends me...this instead?” Her hand dismissed him like an insect while her eyes ripped him to shreds. “What kind of ship are you people running here? Where is the rest of the crew? Where are the stewardesses, where is the chef? My instructions could not have been more clear…” 

  
Emma approached and stood about three feet behind the indignant woman. Regina spun on a heel (_ bitch still hasn’t taken them off) _at the sound of her clearing her throat. 

  
“You.” Her tone dipped like a hot knife through butter. “Is there something wrong with your ears, dear? Did I not make myself clear when I instructed you to fetch the Captain?” 

  
Standing as tall as her five foot, six inch frame would allow, meeting Regina’s eyes directly, Emma smiled politely and kept her expression unaffected. 

  
“Hi.” Regina said nothing, blinking at her with one perfectly arched eyebrow inching its way north. Emma presented her right hand formally. “Captain Emma Swan, at your request. Welcome aboard, Ms. Mills.”


	2. Death By Saffron

"Just to review, you will be acting as the head chef, my personal stewardess, _and_ the captain of this vessel?" Regina's tone was incredulous. Emma felt like a bug under a microscope; the flawless woman's relentless stare made her want to squirm as they sat at the large dining table, bridge deck aft, reviewing her meal and service requirements. Not waiting for an answer, Regina continued, "It seems highly unlikely that someone of your-"

Emma watched as Regina turned her attention to her buzzing phone. Cutting herself off mid-sentence with a slender finger raised, she picked up the phone and stood, turning her back to Emma. "Speak."

_The hell? Who answers a phone like that?_

Regina stepped away from the table toward the railing and Emma could only catch the tone, not the subject of her conversation from where she sat. Based on what she could pick up, whoever it was that had dared disturb her was paying for it as Regina poured vocal venom into the phone.

Emma's blood pressure rose with each minute that ticked by. She was the captain of this ship and "Client's Privilege" be damned, she was not going to put up with being treated with anything less than the respect she deserved. _Why are the gorgeous ones always the most entitled? I'm just expected to sit here and wait until she's good and ready to get back to me?_ _I don't think so. _Emma pushed her chair back swiftly, set to walk away when Regina abruptly ended the call and turned back to the table.

She didn't miss a beat, "Someone of your-"

Mimicking that raised finger to cut her off, Emma met Regina's penetrating stare with a clearly insincere smile. "I assure you Ms. Mills, your every need and desire will be met. You will not be disappointed while aboard my ship."

"Mmm, we'll see about that, won't we Miss...excuse me, _Captain_ Swan. As for my needs at the moment, I will not require lunch as I have work to do. You may serve my dinner at eight sharp and not disturb me until then. You are dismissed."

_I'm dismissed? Lady, you are gonna be lucky to make it to dinner at this rate. _Emma's fingernails dug small circles into her palms. "Ms. Mills, I do have to insist you remove your heels while on board. The decks are teak, scratch easily, and I can assure you cost more than your shoes, as lovely as they are."

"I wouldn't bet on that." She scoffed as she settled back down into her seat at the table. But regarding the deck with a passing glance of boredom, she did begin to remove her heels. Emma's smug satisfaction at the win didn't last long. Doing a double take, she suddenly found herself forgetting for a moment her intent to leave; her eyes glued to Regina's legs as she ran her hand down her calf crossed over one knee. When Regina dropped her heel on the deck and released a soft moan as she briefly massaged her foot, a small smirk formed on her lips, dark eyes flicking up to meet Emma's under a perfectly sculpted, arched brow.

_Shit. _"If you'll excuse me then. Enjoy your afternoon." Emma willed her face not to redden as she turned away and left the infuriating woman to her own company.  
  


**************

"Tom, this one is going to kill me." Emma and her engineer were in the wheelhouse shortly after leaving the dock and navigating out of the bay area. It felt good to be out in the open ocean and the weather reports were excellent for their first leg of the trip from Brisbane to New Caledonia. It would take about forty-eight hours to make the trip and Emma fully expected to be in port before dinner Monday night.

"Come on, Em, you've dealt with difficult guests before. You're a pro."

"Difficult doesn't even come close with this one. Do you know I had to special order the mints for her pillow each night? I guess the usual peasant chocolate is beneath her majesty."

Tom's brow knit together as he listened to Emma rant about their charter guest. This woman must be something else to have gotten under her skin so quickly like this. He didn't think he'd ever seen her this rattled.

They had worked together since Emma had gotten the job and although some of his colleagues tended to talk down to her (big mistake), Tom had an easy relationship with her from the start. You don't work your way up to captain on good looks alone and although Emma had looks to spare, she also had a work ethic and standards that were unmatched and worthy of genuine respect in his opinion.

"You've got this, Cap. Now why don't you let Matt take over up here and go start prepping dinner for your queen. If she's as tough as you say, I doubt she'll tolerate service being late. Besides, if anything can tame the savage beast, it's your truffle risotto, which by the way you should definitely make extra of tonight." Tom winked and flashed a smile at her.

"Ugh, I know, I know." Emma sighed, smiling back at him and paged Matt to the bridge. She headed down to the galley to start prepping for dinner service. Regina had been true to her word and hadn't made so much as a peep to even ask for a drink all afternoon as she seemed completely enslaved to her laptop. Emma could have almost felt bad for her...almost. Whatever her work involved it certainly seemed to require her full attention even on what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation.

Deciding against doing a bad job just to piss her off, Emma pulled out all the stops. Kill 'em with kindness was always a good idea, but Emma had found the best one way to win people over was through their stomachs. Charter tips were always make or break on the quality of the food.

Emma had received culinary training for three years before deciding that behind the line was not where her passion lay. The regular crew loved that she maintained her enjoyment for cooking as sometimes when they had a night off, Emma would treat them to dinner made by herself.

At seven-thirty exactly, Emma paged her deckhand and had him deliver a glass of champagne to her guest. When Taylor showed back up in the galley at exactly seven-thirty-three with the same glass in his hand delivering the message that Ms. Mills had "been crystal clear in her instructions that she only drank Moët & Chandon," Emma rolled her eyes and switched out the liquids pouring an additional eight hundred dollars into her glass. _I wonder if she would even notice if I switched this for a bottle of prosecco. Yeah. Yeah, she probably would._

Emma had the first course of dinner plated and ready by two minutes prior to eight. She removed her apron and walked up the two flights to the aft deck, finding Regina standing near the railing, already looking at her watch. She had changed for dinner. Her feet were bare and her loose black slacks rode low on her hips paired with a deep red split sleeve top.

And Emma forgot to move...again. Regina's shirt perfectly silhouetted her shapely curves, as the wind pushed the material snug against her side. Her head turned just slightly catching the blonde's entrance in the corner of her eye. Champagne glass in her left hand, Regina's right released the railing and traveled upwards. That slow smirk from this morning reappeared on her lips as she combed her fingers through her hair, leaning her head slightly to the left exposing her neck, and traced two fingers back along a perfect jawline to her chin. _Hm._ Regina noted the Captain's seeming enthrallment with her as both unexpected and...interesting. So she hadn't imagined it earlier this afternoon.

"Are you going to serve that or just stand there enjoying the view?" Her smirk visible now as she turned and sauntered to the table taking her seat. Blinking back her embarrassment, Emma forced her feet to start moving and placed the plate down in front of her.

Not letting Regina affect her further, Emma cleared her throat and acted the perfect server. "For your first course we have a scallop carpaccio with avocado and a passion fruit reduction. This is paired with the 2015 Mar de Frades from your wine list."

Emma could have sworn she saw a pleased look flicker across Regina's face as she inspected the plate but she could have been mistaken as a look of what had to be practiced boredom replaced it before she could be sure. "Thank you, dear. This looks...fine."

_Fine?...Fine._ Emma forced a smile as she poured her wine. Setting down the bottle, she picked up Regina's napkin and moved to place it across Regina's lap. As she withdrew her hand, Regina chose that moment to pull her chair closer to the table causing Emma's arm to brush against her chest lightly. Eyebrows arched to the sky**.**

_Did she just do that on purpose? No, no she couldn't have._

Regina hadn't reacted to the accidental graze, convincing Emma it had to be an accident. Emma retreated to the galley wondering why her arm seemed to tingle from the light contact. She needed to get a hold of herself. It's not like she'd never touched a gorgeous woman before. _Besides, little Ms. Sub Zero up there may smoke like she's on fire but there's nothing but dry ice running through those veins._

Emma prepped the second course and set her mind to focusing on plating it to perfection. Sticking with the seafood theme she prepared a lobster risotto (_Sorry, Tom) _garnished with crispy shallots, sweet onion oil and a gorgeous, Northern Australian lobster tail. If this little number didn't melt some of that ice, nothing would.

Returning to the dining area, Emma informed Regina of the pairing of the dish with her next wine of choice, the 2012 Italian Primo Bianco Vermentino. Having placed a fresh glass for the new wine on the table Emma picked it back up by the stem, poured the white and began to set it down again. As she brought it back toward the table, Regina reached up and took the glass directly from her hand allowing her pinkie to overlap Emma's fingers briefly. _Okay, _that _was definitely on purpose! Get a grip, no it wasn't._

Once again, Regina seemed not to react to both the small bit of contact or the amazing food set before her. No 'thank you' forthcoming this time, Emma hesitated next to her not sure if she should walk away or ask if there was anything else she required.

Tilting her head, a slight sneer painted on her lips, Regina's eyes slowly dragged up Emma's body to meet hers. "Being as you only brought one plate, I'm certain you're not waiting for an invitation to join me, dear."

Thankful for the thick glass, Emma's grip on the wine bottle in her hand turned her knuckles white as she spun on her heel without a word and swept back through the doors down to the galley. _I'm gonna kill her. I'm gonna lose my job and end my career in jail for murder...and it will be_ _so worth it._

Back in the galley she took a few deep calming breaths. Perhaps she had forgotten what it was like to deal directly with the guests. No, this was no ordinary guest, she could tell that much even after their limited interactions so far. _One more course then a light dessert and I'm done. I can do this...then I only have to get through like twenty__**-**__seven more torture sessions before the end of this hell. You know what, I'm gonna kill Nick too. Might as well go out in style with a double murder. _Composing herself for a third time and vowing not to get close enough to risk any more "accidental" contact, she headed back up the stairs.

As she approached the automatic door she stopped just short of the sensor, brain short circuiting as she took in the vision before her on the other side of the glass. Regina ran her middle finger through the sweet lobster sauce at the bottom of her dish, brought it to her parted lips and proceeded to run her tongue slowly up to the tip before dipping it completely into her mouth and sucking it clean. _Holy- She has no idea you're standing here. She has no idea you're standing here. Close your mouth before you start drooling. Walk! Fuck!_

Emma breezed through the door, third course in hand. Regina readopted her bored look, turning to stare off in the opposite direction of Emma. Swapping the empty plate for the fresh one, Emma struck the edge of the dish on the table with a sharp click, pulling Regina's eyes back to her. She made a show of tilting the empty plate toward Regina, clear finger trail through the center. "I see you enjoyed the risotto." _Win! Try to snark your way out of this one-_

"Was that Spanish or Persian saffron, dear?"

"Um...Spanish." This was not exactly the reaction Emma expected. "You have an excellent pallet, Ms.-"

"I thought it tasted a little bitter. Now I know why**.**"

_Death by saffron__**.**_ _Is that a thing? That could be a thing. _"Yes, well I'm glad you were able to choke it down anyway."

Regina's eyes flashed at the unexpected comeback. _Look who wants to play. _Regina opened her mouth to bite back when Emma began pouring her final wine pairing. With her tone back under control Emma described the red as she poured. "This is the Clos du Paradis you requested from France. We were unable to get the 2013 you specified but I have it on authority that the 2011 is a better vintage from the sommelier at the vineyard in Burgundy. This is paired with a beef Wellington served with wild mushrooms, asparagus, and finished with a red wine reduction."

Regina said nothing, studying the young woman intently as she moved away from the table.

"Enjoy." Emma turned to leave but couldn't help herself. A "Try not to lick the plate...dear," thrown over her shoulder as she passed through the doors, she could have sworn she actually heard the woman growl.

Dessert was ready and plated in just a few minutes. Emma took the opportunity while Regina ate her main course to quickly perform the turn-down service in her master stateroom. She gave the room a quick once over, prepped the bed, changed the towels and placed one very expensive chocolate on the pillow. As much of a pain as Ms. Mills was, the woman had amazing taste and Emma's standards would never be compromised. She ensured that everything was perfectly in order even adding a fresh rose to the side table.

As she wiped down the desk, Emma's hand accidentally bumped Regina's open laptop. The black screen flickered to life. _Fifty-six new email notifications? No wonder she's been chained to this thing all day. How many emergencies can possibly come up in one afternoon at a hotel? _Stifling the urge to open her email application for a heroic six seconds, Emma's curiosity won the battle; her finger manipulated the mouse pad to maximize the window.

_Blanchard, Margaret. Re: Mrs. Pender_

_Blanchard, Margaret. Fw: Expense account - October_

_Belle, Rachel. Permission requested to reschedule Ma'am._

_Johnson, Killian. Re: Room 1078 renovation plan/damages_

_Smithe, Julie. Re: You've been a very bad girl._

_Blanchard, Margaret. Re: Conference call rescheduled_

_Silver, Richard. Guest Contract Signed and Attached_

_Wait...what? _Most of the email subjects seemed to make sense for a hotel owner but as she scrolled down the page Emma wondered at others. _Who the heck is this Julie Smithe and what on earth does that mean?_ _What kind of contract does a hotel/casino guest need? _Not daring to inspect the account further for fear of Regina seeing it had been opened Emma shook her head and minimized the window again. She inwardly admonished her own unprofessionalism. What the hell was she doing? This was ridiculous. It didn't matter what she does with her business or who is emailing her. _What is wrong with me?_

Emma left the room shoving the guilt at her intrusion into the back of her mind and returned to the galley. She picked up the final course and headed up to the deck preparing herself for another sparing round. Smug satifisfaction helped her hold here tongue when she noticed Regina had once again cleaned her plate. Emma took the empty dish and moved to place the perfectly plated Creme Brulee with fig chutney in its place. As the clean white china slid onto the table Regina's finger twitched on the stem of her glass pushing it in the path of the dish.

Red wine. Emma watched in slow motion as the crimson liquid poured out and splashed up as the glass hit the table and thankfully bounced instead of shattered. "What on earth!" Regina leapt up from her chair crashing into Emma in an attempt to avoid the wine pouring off the table in the direction of her lap. Arms instinctively wrapped around Regina in an effort to keep them both from falling. The oaken scent of soft leather, coffee and hazelnut filled Regina's senses as she took a sharp breath against Emma's chest. Her eyes fluttered closed for just a beat as she allowed Emma to support her weight before she remembered herself and stiffened.

"Get your hands off me." Regina's tone set to disgust, she pried herself from Emma's arms face flushing with irritation as Emma's flushed with embarrassment.

"Regina...oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" _How the hell did that just happen?_

"Captain Swan, your pitiful tactics to touch me all evening have hardly put us on a first name basis."

"What? I...what?"

"Please. Don't act innocent with me. You think I haven't noticed you staring at me all night? Getting into my personal space?"

"You...you can't be serious...I didn't…" Emma fumed. "Listen**,** _Ms. Mills__**,**_ if you think for one second…"

Regina's tone could have sent a shiver down the devil's back. Her dark brown eyes burned into Emma's. "What I _think_ is that it's best if you allow one of your deckhands to finish service. It seems you need to regain control of yourself."

**  
************

  
Emma stood in the galley twenty minutes later still wondering how she got there without blood on her hands. "Can you believe her?" Tom sat at the small table for the crew watching her slam the dishes clean more than wash them.

"Take a breath, Em."

"Tom, if you even try to tell me to calm down you'll be the second person I throw overboard tonight."

Tom studied her thoughtfully, carefully crafting his response. Emma did not take well to being corrected, but if anyone could get away with a little fatherly direction, it was him. At more than twenty years her senior, she may have outranked him in stripes but not in wisdom. "Captain Swan, put the sponge down and look at me before you break something."

Emma dropped the sponge and set the dish she was abusing back in the sink. She let her hands rest on the edge of the metal tub, shoulders dropping from where they were tensed practically to her ears. Taking a deep breath and releasing it with a sigh, she turned to look at Tom, left hand still gripping the sink edge. "Sorry."

"What's going on with you? I know you needed this week off as much as I did, but I've never seen you this agitated. It's not like we haven't had difficult charters before, so why are you letting this one get under your skin?"

"I'm not letting her get under my skin. She's just so damn rude, so damned intense, so damned entitled and demanding, so damned-"

"Smoking hot?" Tom offered.

"Yes. Wait, what? No!"

Tom chuckled, his concern turning to understanding. "Sure, okay I get it now. Personally I think you should go for it. Burn off some of that anger with a little…"

"Tom, stop it. That would be completely unprofessional. I mean, yeah she's just about the most beautiful woman I've ever seen but there's no way. Besides even if I wanted to, which I do _not_, she looks at me like a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Trust me, she wouldn't be interested."

Tom's forehead creased from his raised eyebrows. "Mmhm. Explain to me again how you think she knocked her wine glass over on purpose. If I remember correctly you said she "threw herself into your arms", no?"

"No. I...at least I don't think so. I don't know...it doesn't matter. Stop it." She slid into the seat across from him. "You're supposed to be helping me, not making this harder."

"Em, when's the last time you actually took the time to get to...uh, know someone?"

Emma's eyes widened to saucers. "You wanna know when the last time I fu-"

"No! That was a rhetorical question. I'm just saying that it's okay to do something for yourself once in a while. Even if it's a little...I'm just saying there's not too many crew on board so there's fewer eyes..I'm just saying…"

"Stop just saying, Tom." Emma stood up putting an end to his rambling. "I'm going to finish these dishes and go to bed. You are going to run the engine checks and then do the same. Put Matt on watch tonight and I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes, Captain." Tom stood to leave. When he reached the stairs out of the galley that led down to the engine room, he turned and threw her a wink. "Have a good night, Em."

She didn't answer him. She was too wrapped up in her own thoughts as she began to scrub the finish off the china plates again. Emma couldn't help but think about what Tom had said. Her anger quelled slowly. What the hell did he know? Did he seriously just tell her that she needed to get laid? Emma shook her head. No, that actually wasn't what Tom said. He said she needed to take care of herself a little and just recognize that maybe her frustration with the woman upstairs was tied to a little more than her acute case of royal bitchery.

Emma's eyes glazed over shortly after an image of the insufferable yet mesmerizing woman popped to the forefront of her mind. _He said you need to recognize that maybe she's getting to you because those eyes, those perfect lips, the way she moves like every inch of her body is under perfect control…_ Emma rapidly blinked followed by a sigh. Yeah, okay. Perhaps she did need to get laid. _I'm pathetic._  
  


__ **************  
  


The alarm was barely a surprise as monotonous beeping intruded on her sleep. Four freaking thirty. Emma found herself wishing for one of those obnoxious drunken rich-boy charters where they got wasted on expensive liquor all night and blessedly slept in late instead of the ice queen's specified breakfast time of six each morning. Never again would she do this without a head chef. Never again_. _Groaning and dragging herself upright, she took a quick shower and headed up to check on Taylor in the wheelhouse.

"G'Morning, Cap." Matt sat at the controls studying the navigation chart. Emma raised an eyebrow over the top of a sip from her steaming coffee cup. "Sorry...Good morning, Captain."

"Good Morning, Mr. Barrett. I trust everything went well last night**.**"

"Yes, ma'am. We are on schedule to arrive in port around seven tomorrow evening."

"Seven? I had hoped to be in sooner."

"There is some weather moving in from the north that's making the water a little choppy. I slowed us down just a bit so we could use the stabilizers, ma'am."

Emma sighed as she realized this meant Regina would probably not choose to disembark for dinner that night. They were only scheduled to be in port until mid-morning on Tuesday to pick up supplies and refuel for the second leg to Fiji and she had hoped to get a few hours of peace. She knew it would take at least forty-five minutes to get the clearances to dock and get tied in and by then her majesty's eight o'clock "sharp" dinner would be expected. "Okay Matt, you did the right thing. I'm going to go down and prep breakfast for the guest. I'll be back up in a couple of hours to relieve you so you can get some sleep."

"Yes, ma'am. Makin' eggs benny by any chance?" He raised an expectant eyebrow.

Emma chuckled. "There'll be extra in the galley when you go down."

"Sweet! You're the best, Cap'...tain."

Emma rolled her eyes and descended back down to the galley to prep breakfast.

  
**************

Regina was up early as always. Sleep had never come easy for her and was why she usually worked such long days in an effort to exhaust herself. Now that she was on this vacation, despite her spending most of the day yesterday working remotely, it just wasn't enough to force her mind to rest. She stood on the aft deck watching the sun rise in an ankle length, white skirt with a purple and aqua pattern that became bolder as it got closer to the hem. A white off the shoulder long sleeve top completed the clean casual look. _You're supposed to be relaxing. _She closed her eyes and willed herself to empty her mind.

The sun was warm on her skin and felt good in contrast to the cool consistent breeze. She shooed thoughts of work from her head and tried to settle on something more calming, something more interesting, something more...blonde. _I'd hardly call that a calming image, dear._ Regina reprimanded herself but couldn't stop from thinking of last night and how much fun she had watching the Captain fluster so easily. _You're not supposed to be working, remember? That wasn't work, it was play. _She wasn't sure she would even see Emma this morning after her little wine glass stunt. Regina had to admire the self-control though. Most people would have lost it_. _A slow smile formed on her lips. _Maybe we'll have to see how much it will take._

Emma carried the tray loaded with eggs benedict, fresh fruit, buttered toast and bacon up to the deck. Breakfast was good because it was one course which meant only having to deal with Regina once this morning. She stopped on the way up to add a mimosa and some grapefruit juice to the tray along with the cup of coffee already steaming away. _I don't want to have to go back._

Regina was already seated at the table as Emma exited the interior to the dining area. It was five minutes past six. She made a show of checking her watch. "Good morning, Captain. I hope you are feeling refreshed after sleeping in a bit."

Nope. She refused to take the bait. Emma had thought long and hard about the previous evening and made a conscious decision to remove herself from whatever game this woman was playing.

_I know she knocked that glass over on purpose._ "Good morning, Ms. Mills. I do apologize for the delay." She placed the food on the table without further comment and almost successfully ignored the way Regina's ebony black hair shone in the early morning light contrasting perfectly with the smooth olive skin on her bare shoulders.

Almost.

A bit disappointed in Emma's seeming lack of interest, Regina's eyes followed her as she set the table. Emma kept from making eye contact, feeling the woman's gaze tracking her every move. "Will you require anything else, Ms. Mills?" She fiddled with the silverware.

Regina's head tilted up to look directly at Emma. She waited as the silence stretched to uncomfortable. Finally Emma turned her head slowly and met her eyes. Regina flashed a sweet smile tinged with a hint of sarcasm. "No thank you, dear. This looks...adequate."

_Here we go._

"I will require no interruptions again today, Miss Swan." Emma frowned at the drop of her earned title. "I have work to do and cannot be distracted."

"Very well**,** Ms. Mills. Now if you'll excuse me, Taylor will be up to clear your plates and refresh your coffee if needed. I have other things to take care of today." Not waiting for a reply, Emma turned and left her to her breakfast that she would probably eat slowly_, _wrapping her lips around each bite, licking the dripping hollandaise from her fork as it… _Stop it._

Regina waited until Emma was out of sight to dig into the heavenly looking breakfast before her. She didn't think last night's dinner could be outdone, but she was wrong. _Oh my God, I need to take this one home to cook for me everyday. _She shook her head at her own thought. What was it about the Captain that she found so intriguing? She knew the answer.

Regina Mills occupation required her to remain in control at all times, to always be three steps ahead of everyone. Clients came to her with clear expectations and never challenged her command. Captain Emma Swan was unpredictable. She was not a client. She was an equal, enthralling Regina with her own obvious authority. Regina found herself enjoying pushing her buttons, watching her delicious mix of self-control, her lack of submission to provocation. This was something new. Something interesting.

Finishing her meal, Regina picked up her still warm cup of coffee and inhaled deeply. Hazelnut. Regina's senses overloaded remembering the scent of Emma's cologne. A small smile crept onto her lips. This had to be on purpose_. Okay, Captain Swan, I see your bet, and I'll raise you one higher._ She stepped to the railing, dumped the coffee overboard and headed down to the crew area, hoping Emma would be there. She was not disappointed.

Emma sat in the crew mess with Matt enjoying the extra eggs and bacon she had prepped. He chatted about the upcoming port and how much he wanted to get off the boat while Emma half listened. Emma understood this was originally supposed to be time off for all of them and she would make sure he and the rest of the crew got the chance to explore.

"Alright**,** Mr. Barrett, if you're done stuffing your face you can go get some rest. I expect you back on duty by seven."

"Yes, Ma'am**.**" He stood to leave.

"And Matt…I'll cover things on board tomorrow night; you take the crew out for dinner and drinks; there'll be no need for a night watch in this port."

He flashed a huge grin, snagged the last piece of bacon and disappeared out the back of the galley towards his quarters.

Emma laughed as he left, shaking her head at his excitement and mused out loud to herself. "I imagine I won't be seeing any of them before the sun comes up then."

"Does that mean we'll be all alone then, Em-ma?"

She practically spit her toast across the table as Regina's voice, curled like smoke, whispered against her ear. She jumped up from the table as much in surprise as in confusion as Regina stepped back and adopted a more upright angle. "Regi**-**Ms. Mills…I…how can I help you?"

Regina's smirk was anything but subtle. "Captain Swan, I'm so sorry to disturb you. I was just wondering if I could get a little more coffee. The first cup was so deliciously…stimulating."

_Shit, she noticed the hazelnut. Why did I do that?_ "Coffee? Yes…Yes of course. I'm sorry**.** Taylor should have been up to offer you a refill. There was no need for you to come downstairs."

"Mmm, it's no bother, dear. It's always so interesting to see the backstage area."

Emma recovered quickly. "Oh! If you're interested in seeing more of the ship I could arrange for Mr. Barrett to give you a tour of the crew areas and the engineering deck." She poured a fresh cup of coffee and handed it to Regina.

"That won't be necessary, Emma." Regina used two hands to take the steaming mug.

She took the handle in her left and placed her right directly on top of Emma's, sliding her fingers along her skin as she removed it from her hand. "Although…I wouldn't mind seeing the captain's quarters sometime."

Emma's brain short circuited as she managed a strangled squeak in response to the suggestive nature of both Regina's touch and words.

"You'll let me know when you can arrange that, I'm sure. Thank you for the coffee, dear." Regina turned and walked back up the stairs without looking back. Emma was unaware of the large grin she now sported. _Your move, Captain Swan._

Standing there dumbstruck, Emma's brain tried to catch up with her body. _Did she just…? _Her skin tingled where Regina's fingers had lightly traced their path. _Was that what I…_? Her ear burned with the heat of Regina's breath on her delicate skin and the smoldering embers of her suggestions. _Does she really think…? _Her eyes glued to the empty stairway where the mesmerizing figure had slowly ascended. _I…she…fuck._

She took a deep breath and released it. Alright then, if Regina really wanted to play this game, then fine, she'd play. Professionalism be damned. _You want to go all in with me, Ms. Mills? Let's go all in then, shall we?_ She grabbed her walkie. "Taylor, get up to the wheelhouse, you're on watch for the next hour."

"Uh…what? I mean…Yes**,** Captain!"

Emma knew there was nothing to do on watch for now. The boat's course had been set on autopilot and other than keeping an eye on the radar for other ships there wasn't much to worry about barring an emergency. _Okay, don't be stupid. _"Tom, I'm putting Taylor on watch for now. Let me know immediately if you notice anything changing on our current course or status."

"Heard, Captain. Everything alright?"

"Everything's fine, Tom. Just have to take care of someone**-**thing. Something."

"Loud and clear, Captain" Emma thought she heard him chuckle just a little before he clicked off. She didn't care.

  
**************

Dressed in the shortest black shorts she owned, the ones she never wore on charter or in front of the crew for that matter, Emma matched them with one of the bright red crew t-shirts tied in a knot slightly above her waist. When she lifted her arms the shirt rode up high enough to be just shy of inappropriate. Grabbing a bucket and sponge from the crew closet, she headed up to the sun deck.

Regina sat on a chaise lounge by the jacuzzi, attention fixed on the computer screen glowing brightly on her lap.

_Mr. Silver,_

_I am in receipt of your signed agreement and unfortunately will not be able to fulfill your additional requests. As previously discussed, my personal involvement in your business with the Cortland Hotel is not an option on the table and I will not be dictated the terms of my own contract. Please see the attached revisions to include your assigned handler. You will accept these revisions without further discussion or the contract will be null and void. Ms. Lucas will be in touch with you directly upon receipt._

_Mme. Mills_

Regina pushed send and looked up, suddenly jared from her concentration by the sound of Emma heavily dropping the water filled bucket on the other side of the deck. She stared as the blonde turned away from her, bent over from the waist and took her time soaking the sponge with the warm, sudsy water. Regina's lips abruptly feeling parched, she ran her tongue slowly out to moisten them. Emma turned ninety degrees, raised the dripping sponge allowing some of the water to hit her shirt, and reached as high as she could to scrub the glass in front of her. She took her time being sure to twist her torso just right to maximize the amount of skin exposed while she steadily made her way across the wall of windows.

Her emails temporarily forgotten, Regina watched, fascinated by the both display of physique and boldness. Catching herself distracted, she rolled her eyes at Emma's less than subtle attempt to capture her attention. Returning to her email while keeping one eye on the blonde, she tried to convince herself that she wasn't distracted by the obvious play.

_Ms. Blanchard,_

_Relay the message to Ms. Lucas that she will…_

Biting her lip as Emma rolled her sleeves up to her shoulders, Regina's train of thought derailed somewhere along the cut of her bicep as she flexed her arm and picked up the bucket of water to move to the next pane of glass. _Ignore her, you're acting like a fool. _Regina shook her head and pressed her lips in a thin line of determination.

_...that she will be required to meet with…_

_She's not serious. _Regina's eyes were once again dragged in the direction of the Captain who had slowly used the back of her hand to wipe the sweat off her forehead releasing a slight moan..._Okay Captain, this is just getting..._and then proceeded to throw her head back and wring the sponge out just above her chest soaking her t-shirt in the process, _fuck…_ Regina was mesmerized as she watched the drops of water cascade down Emma's neck and darken the material already clinging tightly to her figure.

Regina mentally smacked herself for being taken in by Emma's over the top display. It was clear she had decided to make the next move in what was quickly becoming a game of one-upmanship. _You really need to work on your originality, dear._ Regina rolled her eyes for a second time and made a show of looking as bored as possible while refocusing on her laptop.

Emma watched Regina from the corner of her eye. She could see her eyes flick up and stare more than once but now her lip curled in dissatisfaction as Regina yawned trying to convince her she was bored. Emma knew damn well she was faking it. _I don't think so. You're not winning this one, Ms. Mills. _Emma dropped the sponge into the bucket and walked directly into Regina's line of sight. She crossed her arms, grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up over her head in one swift motion and proceeded to wring it out over the side of the railing.

_...required to meet with Mr. Silver upon receipt of his…_

Regina emitted a low growl as her eyes devoured the image of Emma whipping her shirt up over her head revealing a black sports bra and well toned stomach. Raking her eyes over every inch of available skin, she lost herself in the way the blonde's toned muscles flexed and tightened as she twisted the shirt in her hands.

So captivated by the spectacle before her, Regina failed to notice Emma had turned and was leaning her back up against the railing, looking directly at her. "Enjoying the view, Ms. Mills?" Regina's mouth fell open at Emma's blatant turn of her own remark from the previous night. Emma pushed off the railing and picked up the bucket. Walking just past her as she left, she stopped short. "While I'm here, is there anything I can do to...I mean _for_ you, Ms. Mills?"

Regina remained silent, her brain desperately trying to get her lips to form words. "Perhaps a glass of ice water? You look..." Emma bent low next to Regina from behind letting her lips brush her ear ever so slightly, "thirsty."

The shiver that ran down Regina's back had nothing to do with the constant breeze in the back of the boat and when one of the deckhands showed up about five minutes after Emma's exit with a glass of ice water she practically made him wet his pants with her explanation of where he could shove the refreshment.

Not one to ever be rendered speechless, Regina spent the next few hours taking her frustrations out on her laptop and the unfortunate recipients of her email communications.

Emma changed quickly afterwards and headed back up to the wheelhouse to join Taylor and run checks on the supply lists. She would order what she needed ahead from the port. _You crossed the line with that stunt, you know? _Of course she knew and if she kept this up, she also knew it might put the crew tip in jeopardy. Despite how difficult it might be Emma _had _to start ignoring Regina's game. She shouldn't start what she couldn't finish.

Regina had moved to the forward sun deck and Emma could see her sitting on one of the cushioned benches from her vantage point. She sat upright with her feet outstretched across the bench, her phone in one hand and the laptop keyboard under the other.

Emma watched her go back and forth between the two devices. _I would _love _to know what could possibly be so important that she cannot take a break for one minute. _She tried to focus on her supply order but found herself turning to gaze down on the brunette again. _I would _love _to know who's on the receiving end of that phone call. _Shaking her head at her own curiosity, Emma sighed. She would have _loved_ to have known why she cared so much.

Emma's fingers tapped her pen incessantly on the notepad in front of her.

"Uh...Captain?"

Emma stared out the window again, not registering Taylor's voice.

Taylor cleared his throat and raised his voice. "Captain Swan?" This time she jumped three inches, whipping her head around towards him.

"What?"

"Um...sorry, Ma'am. I just wanted to let you know that I have the bridge under control so if you need to go do something else…"

"Oh. Yes. Thank you, Taylor." Emma shook her head clearing the fog from her brain. "I do have some things to take care of." She stood, grabbed her notepad, and headed down to her quarters.

She sat on the edge of her bed, leg bouncing with agitation. _You have got to stop this. Do I though? I won that round. Yeah, but at what cost? She said she wanted to see your bedroom! She's just fucking with you. God, she's so aggravating. _She stood and started to pace. Why was she letting her provoke her like this? Letting out an exasperated sigh, Emma decided she needed something to focus on that would work off some of her irritation. She threw on a pair of loose black shorts and a bright green racerback top, shoved her ear buds in, and headed out to the front crew deck.

Regina sat with her phone in her hand paying zero attention to what was in front of her. She stared out toward the front of the boat where perfectly toned arms lifted the blonde effortlessly over and over in a laid out pull up on the railing. She pulled her lower lip into her teeth as Emma switched her position and began a set of push ups.

When Emma switched to a set of deep squats, a soft moan escaped her throat as she watched strong thighs and calves flexing. There was no way Emma could have heard the small vibration in Regina's throat but as she turned and dropped to a sit-up position she looked up at the sun deck and briefly locked eyes with her. _Shit, I didn't think she'd still be there._

Regina quickly broke the connection and refocused her attention on her phone which had been buzzing with messages repeatedly. Sighing, she opened the latest one and answered it, sighing again when the little bubbles indicating a reply popped up. She shot back another few responses and let her eyes drift back toward the blonde who was..._gone?_ Regina frowned at her own disappointment.

  
**************

Tom and Emma were busy going over some safety checks down in the crew area. "What do we need in the way of repairs right now?"

"Not much actually, Em. Other than the pump that's been giving me a problem all season, we're in good shape. The backup pump is working fine though, so I'm really not worried about it."

"...Yeah, you should definitely get that fixed." For the last two hours it was clear Emma was not paying attention to a thing he said.

"The flux capacitor on the anchor is acting up too, which will definitely result in us sinking and dying in a tragic watery death."

"...Yeah, you should definitely get that...shut up, Tom" Her brain finally caught up with her ears.

"You seem a little preoccupied, hon. Want to tell me about her...it?"

Throwing him a scowl she opened her mouth to protest when Tom's watch beeped. Looking down at her own, her eyes widened to a panic. "Shit! Shit, shit, shit." How the heck did it get to be seven-thirty already?

She quickly headed to the galley and began to prep dinner. She worked as fast as she could and headed up to the aft deck with the first course.

Regina was seated at the table waiting. Emma entered the space and described the dish of seared tuna with baby greens and a wasabi aioli she had placed on the table. She was surprised when Regina offered a simple "Thank you" in return.

Her second course of chilled tomato gazpacho with a basil emulsion was received with the same quiet coolness. That was weird. Shouldn't she have yelled at her by now?

As Emma prepped the third course of a confit lamb breast with rosemary and onion stuffing she started to relax a little. She had been almost twenty minutes late serving dinner tonight but Regina didn't seem to notice or at least she didn't seem to mind. _Maybe I finally shut her up today. She certainly seemed to have a hard time keeping her focus whenever I was around._

Emma smirked, celebrating her victory as she breezed up the stairs for the third time. After placing the fresh plate on the table with a brief description and pouring the wine she turned to leave getting only two steps from the table.

"Tell me something, Captain." Regina's tone was like silk indicating no anger, but when Emma turned to look at her her face resembled steel. "Do you enjoy your job?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you _enjoy_ your job?"

"Uh...yes, of course I do. Why?"

Regina hummed and studied the woman in front of her. The blonde's body language was a riddle. She stood strong and square to the brunette in front of her, arms crossed over her chest while still holding the wine bottle in one hand by the neck, but there was something about the way she shifted and didn't quite meet Regina's eyes that betrayed her confident stance.

She allowed the silence to stretch before smugly answering. "Your lack of focus says otherwise."

_That's it. _All uncertainty gone, Emma took a step towards Regina. She placed her hand on the arm of her chair and slowly bent at the waist, meeting Regina's eyes directly as her brain crafted the next sentence. She closed the space between them to mere inches. Dark eyes blazed back at her like a predator sighting its prey.

"My focus is just fine, Ms. Mills**.** Perhaps you are confusing my shortcomings with your own."

Eyebrows arched as the reverse accusation threatened to pull control of the exchange to Emma's side. Refusing to give an inch of space, Regina cut the air with a sharp "Excuse me?"

"Did I stutter?" Emma growled in return.

_Oh, I don't think so. _Regina's tone was laced with acid. "Who the hell do you think you're speaking to? You will check yourself immediately."

"I think you've checked me out enough already today, Ms. Mills." Regina's face reddened with equal parts embarrassment and rage. Before she could produce a reply, Emma straightened, turned, and stormed back down to the galley.


	3. Dinner For Two

Fingers like ice traced a pattern on her flesh. The shiver running from her neck down to her core faded as smoldering lips warmed her skin following the same path. Hotter and hotter those lips seared slowly southward blazing like fire when they reached their intended destination. Every nerve ending erupted as her body melted like molten steel, writhing in perfect pleasure mixed with perfect...pain? It was too much, the heat from that mouth, those hands now burning deep scars into her skin, refusing to let go. Panic rose in her throat as she struggled to breathe—

Emma's eyes snapped open as she gasped for air. Heart pounding, t-shirt clinging to her body drenched in sweat, she slowly got her breathing under control and calmed herself down. She hadn't had a nightmare that vivid since she was in her teens and certainly not one that started like that. _Great, I can't even have a normal wet dream..._

2:00 A.M. She counted the lines in the pattern on the ceiling for the fiftieth time having given up on the hope of falling back asleep. _She is unbelievable. You can't keep letting her get to you. It's like she gets off on pissing me off. So stop reacting. How can anyone be this damn cold? How can anyone be this damn hot? _Jamming her earbuds into her ears to drown out her conflicting thoughts, Emma closed her eyes and forced herself to clear her mind.

2:00 A.M. Regina lay on the king-sized bed in her stateroom. The glowing red numbers of the clock on the nightstand mocking her exhaustion as she stared at the ceiling having an internal argument with herself. _She crossed the line. What line? I should have her fired. You started it. And I will finish it, no one speaks to me that way. You don't own her._

_Yet._

_  
************** _

Emma was in the galley at 5:00 A.M. after checking on Matt in the wheelhouse. Still on course to arrive in port by seven that evening she told him to switch out with Taylor in two hours and be back on duty at five-thirty that evening to assist with the port and docking procedures. Today was going to suck considering the three hours of sleep or less she had actually managed to get.

Carrying the tray of scrambled eggs and blueberry waffles up to the aft deck at just before six, she prayed Regina was not going to be in the mood to start snarking so early in the morning.

When she reached the dining area she was surprised to find Regina not already seated at the table. Her majesty was sleeping in? No way. Most likely she was just so pissed at Emma from the night prior she had decided to refuse to eat whatever she prepared. Oh well. Her loss. She could starve unless she liked cereal because that was about all the rest of the guys on board could whip up. She would probably be up in a minute though. Emma couldn't imagine her preferring to chow down on a bowl of Frosted Flakes.

Arranging the food on the table and setting a place for her, Emma leaned on the railing where the sunrise had just begun to turn the horizon into to blaze of orange and red. Her thoughts drifted to her nightmare a few hours ago. She couldn't remember most of the details anymore but despite the warmth of the growing sunlight on her skin, she shivered in the morning air.

Regina stood behind her, having been suddenly captivated by the colors of the sunrise reflecting on Emma's hair. Each strand seeming to take on a different shade of orange, gold, and red as the light changed from moment to moment. Losing track of the seconds, she stayed there until Emma shifted and the movement startled her back to cognizance.

The sound of her pulling her chair out to sit made Emma turn and step to the left allowing the sunlight to hit her directly in the eyes. Her wince misinterpreted as displeasure, Emma frowned and sighed. "Is there something I can get you, Ms. Mills? Something not up to your standards?"

"No, dear**. **This looks wonderful. Thank you."

Wonderful? There's a first. And a thank you? Someone woke up on the right side of the bed. "Very good, Ma'am. I'll send Taylor up in a bit to clear your plates and to check on you."

"Emma," Regina began hesitantly as the blonde's eyes narrowed at the use of her first name, "...Captain, if you wouldn't mind I…"

Regina made a small gesture toward the empty seat next to her but stopped herself mid-sentence seeing Emma's brow began to crease in confusion and what looked like mild panic. _What are you doing? You really think she's going to sit down and eat breakfast with you after the way you behaved last night? She probably wants to kill you._ "...I would love to have another cup of that coffee from yesterday morning."

Emma released a relieved breath and felt the muscles she was unaware she had tensed relax. _Oh my God, Did I really just think she was gonna ask me to sit down and eat breakfast with her after the way I behaved last night? She probably wants to kill me. I'm an idiot. _"Oh, yes of course. I'll have Taylor bring it right up."

Regina watched her leave before sitting down. She wasn't hungry in the least, but the waffles and blueberries looked so good she couldn't help herself. As she ate, she thought about what she was doing here. She was going to have to make a decision. Emma endlessly enthralled her. There was no denying her attraction from the minute she saw the woman, but this wasn't the usual feeling she got when someone piqued her interest. Normally she would take a brief physical interest in someone, and one of two things would happen. She would strike up a conversation and immediately lose interest due to their lack of intelligence or she would push their buttons, enjoy them submitting to her authority and she would slowly lose interest due to their lack of resistance. Either way it always ended in eventual boredom.

Emma, however, wasn't boring. Her quick rise to the rank of captain meant she certainly didn't lack intelligence and was most likely, as evidenced by their interactions thus far, anything but submissive to authority. But then on the other hand, she must know how to take orders to a certain extent too, when necessary. Clearly, the woman was too interesting to ignore. But then how to proceed...and to what end?

Regina needed to know more, needed to learn what made her ever intriguing captain tick. Only then could a decision be made as to the amount of time to invest in this sure to be passing notion. She mulled their previous interactions. Perhaps pushing Emma was the wrong tactic. Alright then, there's more than one way to catch a fish. Time to try something different. Time to try reeling her in instead; so further potential could be explored. It wasn't Regina's usual tactic but, that was fine. Afterall, this was supposed to be a vacation from the norm.

**************

Emma was busy in the wheelhouse for most of the morning. Obtaining the clearances for the port ahead was proving to be an unexpected headache due to the high winds slowing down exit from the docks and backing up incoming traffic. The supplies that needed to be picked up were also going to be an issue and would probably have to be delivered in the morning for the same reason. Emma was determined to get things locked down so the crew could have the night off as promised. She did not want to have to deal with Matt's pouting if he didn't get off the ship and even more so, she needed a break from Tom's little knowing looks for a night.

After taking a quick break from the bridge to prep lunch since it wasn't specifically declined and sending Taylor to serve Regina, Emma went back to monitoring the radio and checking the information from the port master.

"Man, if I had that kind of money, I'd definitely do a better job of enjoying it than that chick." Taylor quipped as he entered the bridge.

Emma raised an eyebrow at his comment_. _"Meaning?"

"Well come on, Captain. I heard she paid double for this charter, which is like, completely obscene, but I haven't seen her look up from her computer and phone for five minutes. She hasn't touched the hot tub, she never asks for anything outside of the food you make her, she barely even drinks the expensive liquor on her preference sheet. I don't think she even knows she's on a multi-million dollar yacht." Confusion etching his features he shrugged. "What's the point?"

"Maybe she's got more important things to do all day than drink and worry about what the deckhands think of her." _Where the hell did that come from? _Emma surprised herself with her quick defense of Regina.

"Uh...yeah. Sorry, Captain. I just meant that it's a shame she's not really enjoying everything we have to offer and is so bitchy all the time. It must suck to have to work so hard, but then again, that's probably why she's got more money than I'll ever see."

"Bitchy? Did something happen at lunch? Was she not happy with the food?"

"Oh I think the food was the only thing she _was_ happy with. She seemed pretty pissed that I was serving her though and asked where you were twice. I mean, she knows you're the captain, right?"

Why would she care if Emma was serving her? _She probably wanted to mess with you some more. _"Taylor, I really don't want to hear you referring to the clients as bitchy, even in private. But yes, it's a shame she seems less than relaxed. I'll be serving her dinner so you won't have to deal with that. In fact, after we dock you're free to go out with Matt and the rest of the crew**.**"

"Sorry, Captain. I won't do it again, and thank you. She's really not that bad, honestly. It's better than some of the super high-maintenance charters we've had plus...she's fucking hotter than hell."

"Taylor!"

"Shit...I'm sorry...that was really…" Taylor's face reddened with embarrassment.

Emma's eyes narrowed as she fought to control her tone. "Inappropriate. Taylor, I think Tom could probably use some help in the engine room and Matt will be up to assist with docking later. I want you on the aft lines when we get in. You're dismissed."

"Yes, Ma'am." He scurried from the room without looking back.

_Well__**,**_ _he's not wrong._ Emma frowned at herself. Great. She was just as bad as him_. _She moved to the window and deepened her frown at her own disappointment that Regina was not on the sun deck below. What was wrong with her? What was it about this woman Emma found so fascinating? It didn't make sense. She was controlling, demanding, condescending...don't forget fucking hotter than hell. Emma rolled her eyes. _Thanks for that little insight, Taylor._ Her head shook from side to side. She wasn't a pig; she realized it was more than that. Regina was intelligent, alluring, and there was something about the way she looked at her that seemed almost..._like a shark circling its prey?_ Emma sighed. If she didn't stop this...whatever this was, she would surely be dead in the water. She needed to focus on making the befuddling woman's experience five-star. That was her only job.

  
**************

Regina sat on the aft deck poring over expense and inventory reports, barely seeming to notice as the deckhands scurried around the boat preparing for their docking procedures. She hadn't seen Emma since breakfast and would have assumed she was avoiding her if she hadn't heard her voice giving direction to the crew over their walkies every once in a while indicating she was just busy with her other responsibilities. She closed her laptop with a frustrated sigh and rolled her head to one side to stretch. She needed to stop obsessing over her. There were only two choices. Get over it or get under it. Regina smiled at her own thought knowing exactly which one of those options she preferred. She placed her hand on the back of her neck, massaging her sore muscles lightly.

"Um, Excuse me, Ms. Mills. The Captain has asked me to inform you that we will be docking shortly but that dinner will be served promptly at eight as usual." Taylor smiled politely as Regina turned and regarded him with a look he couldn't read.

"Thank you, dear." He turned to leave but was stopped. "I was just wondering, will you be disembarking with the rest of the crew this evening?" _Hopefully before dinner is served._

"Yes, Ma'am. We're all looking forward to it. It's really nice of Captain Swan to let us have the night off all together like this."

He had no idea how _nice_ that revelation was to her ears. "Mmhmm. You enjoy working under her then?" Regina kept her voice sweet but a more astute person than Taylor probably would have picked up on the insincerity in her smile.

"Absolutely. She's a total hardass but she's fair and never makes you feel like she's better than you. She chips in with almost every job on the yacht and you already know what an amazing cook she is, plus you know she's smokin ho-. "

Regina chuckled as Taylor turned red for the second time today. "That I do, dear." _Oh look, the little boy has a crush. Too bad I have a strong suspicion our Captain is interested in something or someone a little more mature._

"I...yeah, her cooking is good, that's what I…" Taylor cleared his throat. "Hey, um so I couldn't help but notice you look a little stressed from all the work you've been doing. I really admire your dedication, by the way." He rambled on praying Regina would forget he had just sexually objectified his boss. "You know, the jacuzzi is great for relaxing at night. You should totally try it later."

Taylor's walkie beeped to life with Matt's voice following. "Taylor, where the hell are you? Get your ass on the lines!"

Regina smiled at him again. "Thank you for the suggestion, dear. I just might do that. Now I wouldn't want to get you in trouble, so perhaps you should go tend to your other responsibilities." _You've served your purpose._

Her smile faded quickly as he hurried off. Hot tub, huh? Maybe the 'smokin hot' captain would join her. Regina almost laughed out loud. She was going to have to start playing nice if she expected her fish to bite. And nice she could play, when provided the proper motivation.

  
**************

Regina stood at the railing dressed in loose white slacks and a deep blue, sleeveless keyhole top. She had seen the crew exit the ship about thirty minutes after docking and was currently watching the dock workers loading various items onto the surrounding ships.

"Good evening, Ms. Mills. Your dinner is served." Emma had the first course on the table at exactly eight o'clock, as promised. Regina turned as Emma pulled her chair out for her. She approached the table stopping just next to her.

"Hold still."

Before Emma could react but then somehow in slow motion Regina's hand rose toward her face. Emma's eyes widened and locked with Regina's. Her breath caught in her chest at the instant warmth from the palm cupping the side of her head, a delicate thumb brushed gently across her cheek just under her eye. Emma desperately fought to comprehend what was happening and the sudden need to lean into that touch. Withdrawing her hand seconds later, Regina brought her thumb to her lips, closed her eyes and blew gently.

"You had an eyelash, dear." Regina's words broke the spell and Emma remembered to breathe again. Regina took her seat and smiled softly having noticed the rush of air that escaped Emma's lips as if she had just survived a near death experience. _So affected by a simple touch, Captain. Interesting._

Emma shook her head and reached for Regina's glass. She began pouring the wine doing her best to ignore the still tingling skin where Regina's hand had briefly rested. _Focus. _Regina pulled her chair in and turned slightly toward Emma as she leaned forward and placed the glass back on the table. Emma couldn't help but settle her her gaze on the perfectly smooth portion of exposed skin that started just below Regina's neck and ended about three inches south of conservative. _Five-star service. Focus. Ten-star cleavage._ _Stop it. Five-star service._

"This looks lovely, dear." Regina turned on the charm.

Emma pulled her eyes back to a more appropriate level. "Thank you, Ms. Mills. I do hope you enjoy it. The prawns are local and were delivered just after we docked." She turned to leave.

"Captain, I was wondering if you would be so kind to join me for dinner this evening."

_Did she just? No she didn't. It's not that weird, a lot of charter guests ask to eat dinner with you._

"Captain Swan?"

Emma turned to face her. "Ms. Mills, while I appreciate your invitation, I will have to decline. I will prep your main course and then I will take my own meal in the galley."

Regina frowned. Clearly Emma had decided to put up a wall of professionalism in an attempt to reestablish control of the situation. "Is it not customary for the captain to join the guests for dinner on charter when requested?"

_There's nothing customary about you, lady. _"Thank you, really. But I-"

"Nonsense. I will not have you eating in the galley alone." An edge had crept into Regina's voice but she corrected herself quickly. "Captain, please. I really would appreciate the company." Her lips formed a thin line in anticipation of Emma's repeated refusal and she reminded herself to stay on the softer side of firm and lifted the corners of her mouth into what she hoped looked like a genuine smile.

Emma tried to decline a second time but when Regina politely insisted again she acquiesced in the interest of avoiding further argument. _It's no big deal. Just keep the conversation light and get through it. And make sure your eyelashes are all in the right place._

Emma walked back up to the dining area fifteen minutes later with two plates of grilled cod with a lobster brandade, a bottle of Austrian Riesling tucked under one arm. Setting everything down and pouring the wine, she pulled out the chair on the opposite side of the table from Regina.

"Captain, perhaps you could sit here next to me so we don't have to shout across the table to discuss the weather." Regina smiled and took a sip of her wine, keeping her eyes on Emma.

Emma took a deep breath and moved around the table and settled warily into the seat next to Regina.

"Much better, thank you. I promise not to bite, dear." Emma raised an eyebrow at the statement over her own glass. "Unless you ask nicely." A second eyebrow arched to match the first and Emma tipped the glass back and drained it. She reached for the bottle and poured a second glass more full than the first. If Regina kept that up she would require something harder than wine to pour down her throat.

Regina chuckled softly at Emma's apparent nervousness and switched the topic to a seemingly more mundane subject matter. "The crew seemed excited to get the night off. You are very kind to allow them that."

"They deserve to blow off a little steam. They were originally supposed to have this whole week off and when we're in port there isn't as much to do overnight." Emma didn't mean to indicate that Regina was an unwelcome inconvenience and hoped her slight implication would be ignored.

"What about yourself, dear? Do you not also deserve a night off?" Emma was so intently focused on her fish in an effort to not focus on that perfect slit in the fabric of Regina's shirt that she didn't notice the over-saccharine tone in Regina's question.

"Leaving the ship unattended is not a luxury afforded someone in my position, Ms. Mills, but I assure you, I find time to relax when I require it."

"That's good to know. I have always felt it is imperative to find the time to attend to one's own needs in order to be able to best serve others'." Regina winked at Emma as she swallowed hard at the half a dozen different meanings her brain was assigning that sentence. Regina continued. "I have to admit I am curious about how someone so young was able to rise to the rank of captain. Would you indulge me with the details of your success?" _Tell me who you are._

Emma studied Regina carefully trying to figure out her angle, but finding no obvious snark in her tone she began to tell an abbreviated version of the story. "I started working on yachts when I was twenty-six. I did my first year as a third stewardess but found the work did not suit me very well as laundry and cleaning were not a passion of mine. I moved to deckhand my second season and caught a bit of a break when my bosun was fired halfway through the season and I got bumped up to lead deckhand." Emma continued to list out her moves through the ranks but trailed off when she noticed Regina frowning slightly, head leaning to one side slightly like she was confused. "Sorry...I didn't mean to go on**.**"

Regina's face softened. "Not at all. I was just wondering if you were going to answer my question at any point."

"I...I thought I was." Emma's brow furrowed in confusion.

"I do apologize. Perhaps I wasn't clear, dear. I wasn't asking you for a step by step job history. I wanted to know how you did it. What qualities you have embraced that you attribute to your success exactly?" _Show me the chink in your armor._

"Oh...I...I don't know."

Regina did not respond but waited patiently for Emma to organize her thoughts. She smiled lightly at her, encouraging her to continue with her silence. Without knowing why, Emma found herself suddenly speaking about things she hadn't discussed with anyone in years.

"I grew up in a very regimented home. I was adopted as an infant by a young couple. My father was in the navy and was stationed in the states; my mother stayed at home to care for me. We moved around a lot so it was hard for her to find steady work. When I was six, she passed away from complications from a routine surgery. My father threw himself into his work and became more detached as he rose through the ranks to colonel. I was expected to take care of myself for the most part and uphold his strict standards at all times. I would not consider myself neglected but approval was something you had to earn and anything less than perfection was not tolerated. Direction was to be taken without question. As I grew up, I learned to control my emotions when faced with difficulties and mastered the ability to hold my tongue. I have always struggled with taking orders at my core but learned what I needed to do to get what I wanted."

Emma took a deep breath and released it. _Where the hell did that come from?_

_Struggle taking orders, hm? We'll see if we can't change that. _"Thank you, Captain. That makes perfect sense." Regina reached forward and rested her fingers lightly on Emma's wrist. "I appreciate you being so open with me."

Emma could focus on nothing else but the warmth of the fingers laid so delicately on her arm. She tried to get her mouth to speak but it was like she ran out of words and there was nothing in the world that mattered but the hand that gently squeezed her wrist and then released it again leaving a ghost of the contact on her skin.

"Emma? Are you alright?"

Emma snapped back to reality at the sound of Regina's voice. "I...yes, yes I'm fine." Emma? What was with the abrupt utterance of her first name?

"I hope I didn't offend you with my question. I abhor small talk and sometimes don't realize that I'm getting too personal."

"No, it's fine. I just don't talk about my childhood very much. It's no big deal."

Regina highly doubted it was no big deal. "We all have things we are uncomfortable broaching. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I didn't say I was uncomfortable...Regina. I just said-" _Stay cool she didn't mean anything by that. _"Never mind. Is it my turn to ask you a question?"

_On a first name basis now, I see. _Regina chuckled. "Well I'm not sure I actually agreed to a game of twenty questions, but if there is something you'd like to know, I will do my best to give you an answer."

"What do you do for a living?" Why did she ask that? She already knew. _Yeah, I'm not so sure I do._

Regina gave her a quizzical look. "I was under the impression that my occupation was listed on my preference sheet, no? I own and run the Cortland Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas**.**"

"I do apologize. Perhaps I wasn't clear." Emma tried to hide a small smirk. "I didn't ask what your official occupation was, I asked what you _do."_

_Cute, Miss Swan. Alright then, if you really want to know. _"What I _do_ is relentlessly pursue perfection in all matters professionally and personally. I require those that I deal with to acquiesce to my requests and rise to my standards in all situations. I set clear expectations that are fair and attainable, but not negotiable. I reward those that obey and discipline those that require correction. I follow a strict code of ethics that assists me in keeping necessary boundaries ensuring the safety of both myself and my...clients." Regina paused, allowing Emma to digest what she had just said as her mouth had dropped open somewhere around her second sentence.

"That...that sounds interesting...and stressful." _And tells me absolutely nothing because there's no way she's actually saying..._The emails Emma had perused flashed through her head. _Don't be ridiculous she's not sitting here telling you that she's a-_

"Is there another question you had, dear?"

"I...no. No, I think that covers it. Thank you for your candor." _Don't be insane. _Regina was probably just being facetious in her description of normal cutthroat business dealings_. Right. Totally normal hotel stuff. Bad girl emails, contracts, clients. Totally. Normal._

"Alright then, may I ask you something else?"

"Sure...I guess."

"How does it make you feel that despite your rank, you are still beholden to the orders of your charter guests to some degree? Is that difficult for you?"

Emma's eyes narrowed. _What the heck kind of question is that? _Sitting a bit straighter, Emma's tone dipped. "Allow me to correct your assumption, Ms. Mills. I am beholden to my guests only in so much as I wish to make their experience on board as satisfactory as possible so they are happy and choose someday to return for another trip, or recommend us to another paying customer. I am the captain of this vessel and am beholden to nothing other than the safety standards and efficiency of every system and crew member on board. I do not take _orders_ from my guests."

_Hm. Back to "Ms. Mills" on that one, I see. _"Please don't misunderstand me, Emma. I didn't mean to insult you. I was just curious as to how a woman of your fortitude is able to accommodate her guests possibly unreasonable requests at times. I admire your ability to simultaneously comply and command."

_I bet you do. _"Are you planning on making an unreasonable request of me, _Regina._" Emma's tone had not fully softened again but Regina thought she heard a note in it that bordered on playful.

Regina laughed and Emma was struck by the brightness of her eyes; how her whole face lit up with the first genuine smile she witnessed from her.

"No, dear. I wouldn't dream of asking you to do anything unreasonable. I'm not in the business of forcing people to do things they don't truly want to." _Unless of course they just don't know they want to yet._

"And you presume to know what I would want then?" Emma watched as Regina's smile began to fade to a smirk and she decided she didn't want to know the answer to that question. "I'll tell you what I want right now, Regina." An eyebrow arched her way. "Dessert." Emma stood, cleared the plates and retreated back to the galley.


	4. No Connection

Regina sat on the deck admiring the starlit sky in such a remote area of the world. She silently wished the dock lights were not as bright as they were so she could see even more. Vegas had no stars, had no night even, due to the never-ending glare of the blazing electric lights. Regina liked the night sky. It had a calming effect on her and it made her feel comfortable in a way she never did during the day. The pinpoints of light reminded her that there was something bigger out there; that no matter how wrapped up she became in her own world there was something out there that couldn't be controlled or predicted by anyone.

Emma had gone back down to the galley after dessert to clean up at least thirty minutes ago. She had mentioned Taylor telling her that maybe Regina would like to use the hot tub tonight but she had declined Emma's offer to turn it on for her. Now, as she stretched her neck feeling the muscles complain she started to regret her refusal. _Why did I say no? _Her back was killing her from hunching over that laptop the last three days.

Emma finished cleaning up and tried to decide if Regina wanted her to come back or not. Dinner had been weird but also pleasant...in a weird way, and they hadn't actually said goodnight. Then again, why would Regina even want to say goodnight to her? It was one meal together and she probably only asked her because she felt bad letting her eat alone. _That's not true and you know it. She seemed really interested in you. _Emma made the decision to set up the hot tub for her despite her saying no when Emma mentioned it after dessert. _Bullshit, she's been rubbing her neck all night every time she thought you weren't looking. _She grabbed one of the big white towels from the cabinet and started up the stairs. _Wait. Five-star service._ She grabbed a glass of Regina's favorite champagne, cut up a small bowl of strawberries and added a side of fresh whipped cream. _Perfect._

Emma placed everything next to the hot tub, checked the temperature and turned on the jets. She figured Regina was still on the aft deck and went to go tell her that if she had changed her mind, it was all set up. She cut through the main salon and saw Regina staring up at the stars. _Hm. I'll have to remember she likes to stargaze. Pretty sure we have a telescope on board._

Regina didn't hear the door open behind her. Emma entered the deck and watched her roll her neck to the side and slide her hand up to massage the stiff muscle. _Go for it. _Had she lost her mind? _She's been touching you all night, go for it!_ Emma bit her lip preparing for the worst, stepped behind her, and laid her hands lightly on Regina's shoulders.

A startled gasp escaped Regina's lips, her muscles tensing painfully as she froze at the unexpected touch. Emma pressed her thumbs into her tight muscles and began to rub gentle circles into her sore neck.

Regina Mills did not allow people to touch her. Touch was a tool used to manipulate, a weapon used to control, a gift used to reward; intently given but not received. Clients, associates, colleagues, friends; few ever got past a firm handshake and none past a hug. Her reasons for physical distance were as complicated as they were unique to each situation but all resulted in the same end.

Regina's mind and body waged a war against each other. Her every instinct was to pull away, to expel the violation of her boundaries but her body betrayed her as those strong fingers seduced her relaxing muscles. Like an artist softening clay, Emma worked her hands languidly from the base of her skull down the nape of her neck. As they worked into the knots between her shoulders Regina's eyes fluttered closed, a soft whimper in her throat.

Emma fought her own internal battle between her mind and her desire. _It doesn't mean anything. It's just part of the job._ Right, because all charter guests got a rub down from the Captain on the third day. She knew she should stop. She shouldn't even have started. The feeling of Regina's warm skin under her hands, the way she was beginning to melt into her touch the deeper she explored the tender ligaments forced her to ignore the gnawing thoughts of her transgression. When that soft whimper reached her ears Emma bit the inside of her own cheek to stop herself from responding. Never had she heard a more enticing sound.

Regina captured her lip between her teeth and stifled a moan. The sharp pain as she almost drew blood snapped her mind back to reality. No, this was absurd; she would not surrender this easily. _I think that's far enough._ She cleared her throat loudly and stiffened against Emma's hands. Feeling the shift in her body language Emma immediately ceased her movements and dropped her hands.

An awkward silence hung in the air. _Say something! _"Um...the uh, hot tub is available if you've changed your mind." Emma wasn't sure what else to say but the urge to flee the area was growing. "If you need anything, I'll just be downstairs**.**"

"Thank you." Regina couldn't bring herself to turn around until Emma was gone. _That was...unanticipated. _She tried to rationalize her uncharacteristic actions as part of her plan to draw Emma in but there was a part of her that knew she was lying to herself. She enjoyed that much more than she would allow herself to admit and now the thought of relaxing in the hot tub renewed its appeal. Perhaps it could provide a distraction from her own racing mind. _Alright, why the hell not?_

After a quick visit to her room to change into her bathing suit Regina made her way to the sun deck. When she arrived and saw the items Emma had taken care to set out she couldn't help but smile. Grabbing the champagne she stepped up and then lowered herself into the deliciously warm, bubbling water. The moan she had stifled earlier now freely escaped her lips as she relaxed into the heated bliss. This was heaven and she chastised herself for waiting so long to take advantage of it.

Emma cleaned the galley for the second time that evening. She had to keep her hands busy to keep her mind off what had just happened upstairs. Had she crossed the line again? She didn't think so. Regina certainly seemed to enjoy the massage. _Until she didn't. Well, it's not like you were going to take it any further so one of you had to end it anyway. _She went to Regina's cabin to perform a quick turn-down and noticed the clothes she had been wearing neatly folded on the bed. Figuring she had decided to change to hit the hot tub after all, she grinned at her own forethought to prep the area. _Unless she's just wandering the boat naked. _Emma's eyes widened at the idea and she mentally slapped herself. _Stop it. _Emma finished the turn-down and figured before she headed off to bed she'd pop up and see if Regina needed anything. She grabbed another glass of champagne on her way up just in case.

  
**************

Regina swiped the strawberry through the cream, brought it to her mouth and sucked the sweetness from the fruit before wrapping her lips around it allowing the juices to coat her tongue. The jets in the tub gently massaged her sore lower back where Emma had not dared to venture. Emma. The blonde was proving to be quite unpredictable. She was a perplexing mix, both open and closed; every time Regina thought she had her figured out, she managed to change the script.

Regina rested her head back on the soft towel and closed her eyes. Her thoughts drifted to Emma's hands and the magic they had worked just moments ago. She could feel that expert touch kneading her aching shoulders, imagined those hands working lower on her body, those strong fingers caressing and exploring. Regina's own hand dropped into the warm water as she envisioned Emma's seeking to alleviate a different kind of ache. One finger dipping into the waistband of her apple red bikini, she swiped her finger through her folds with a low moan. _Emma, _her breathing quickened as she found her sensitive nub, _you feel so good._ Biting her lip, she alternated between slow circles and gentle flicking. She was so close already.

Emma stood at the top of the stairs, her hand shaking slightly as her grip on the champagne glass tightened. _She's not...the fuck she's not. _Her eyes were glued to the exquisite image before her: head thrown back, moist lips parted slightly, cheeks flushed, elevated breathing making her chest rise and fall in the foamy water. Emma told herself to leave but her feet would not obey the command. Her own breath quickened with Regina's, her own lip caught in her teeth with Regina's as she continued to watch what could only be described as perfection.

"Emma." A hoarse whisper escaped Regina's lips. Emma's breath caught in her chest at the sound of her name. _Oh fuck. Did she just…? _"Please. Emma." The breath trapped in her lungs escaped with an unintentional whimper.

Regina's eyes flew open, her head snapping upright in search of the sound. Panic and passion written on her face, too late to regain control, Regina shattered in release gasping with her eyes locked to Emma's own open mouthed, wide-eyed stare. Emma let their eyes burn into each other just a moment too long, just a second beyond what would have seemed believable shock, before turning and fleeing back down the stairs. Regina watched her go almost calling out to her but stopping herself, knowing there were no words that could explain away what had just happened.

  
**************

Lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, Emma's mind raced with conflicting thoughts. She had moved past trying to convince herself that she hadn't seen what she had seen, hadn't heard what she had heard. The road block she was facing at the moment was convincing herself she hadn't felt what she felt. _That was mortifying. How the hell am I supposed to look at her tomorrow?_ But why was she embarrassed? She wasn't the one that did...that. On the other hand, she _was_ the one that stood there watching...that. Even though she could have left immediately, even though she _should_ have left immediately. So why didn't she?

The image of Regina, flushed and breathless, beautifully uninhibited, was seared into her brain. "_Emma._" A familiar twist shot through her stomach as Regina's heated whisper rang in her ears. Never had the sound of her own name sounded so exquisite. Emma's face flushed even in the privacy of her own room and she scowled at herself. _Don't be a fool. She must have known you were there. She was probably just fucking with you. _But Emma knew she was full of crap. It was obvious Regina was just as shocked as she was when she had locked eyes with her. When she lost perfect control. Groaning in frustration, Emma rolled over and tried desperately to ignore the tightening pull in her core. _There's no way I can face her._

__****  
**********  
  


Regina was up early. Her embarrassment over the previous evening's incident had faded quickly with contemplation. Unsure of how long Emma had stood there watching her she knew one thing, the look on Emma's face told her that she had enjoyed the spectacle. Smiling coyly, Regina had a feeling breakfast was going to be very interesting. _Well if you enjoyed that, Miss Swan, I'd love to show you more._

Emma had hoped that the morning would bring some clarity or at least some reprieve from the guilt she was feeling, and maybe it had. Big picture, what did the whole thing mean? It meant she had done her job, didn't it? _Pretty sure that's not in the job description, Captain. _She surprised herself with a short burst of laughter as she prepped breakfast. But she had. Between the unexpected invite to dinner, the massage, and the Jacuzzi, it seemed she was actually managing to get the ice queen to melt enough to relax and let go a bit. And the fact that she was apparently the subject of that 'relaxation'? Well, that was surprising...and interesting...and confusing. _Yeah, but I'm pretty sure you weren't actually invited to that last part. _Emma frowned and paged Matt to the galley. The specific breakfast she prepared may say otherwise, but there was still no way she was ready to face her.

Regina turned from the railing, a small smile dropping quickly upon seeing Matt delivering her breakfast. She wasn't exactly surprised that Emma was pulling the avoidance move, but she was disappointed. How was she going to get anywhere with this woman if every time she felt the slightest bit uncomfortable, her instinct was to run? Alright, maybe it was more than _slightly_ uncomfortable, but still. She sighed and sat down. Might as well enjoy her cooking, even if she couldn't enjoy her company. Crepes with strawberries and cream. Regina's frown curved upwards again at the not so subtle offering. And the coffee? Rich hazelnut deeply inhaled caused the curve to enhance further.

  
**************

They had left port shortly after breakfast and Emma now stood on the bridge. Having again sent Matt to deliver a light lunch to Regina a couple of hours ago, she was still engaged in an internal argument between embarrassment and smug satisfaction. Regina sat on the deck below hunched over her work again, unaware that she had an audience. Emma just didn't understand it. What could possibly be so important that she could never take a break? There had to be more to her than just her work and yet even last night's events hadn't seemed to be enough to get her out of her rut. Growing resolve winning over lingering guilt, that was it, Regina Mills was going to relax today even if Emma had to force her to do it. She walked over to the communications panel, her finger zeroing in on the switch she was looking for. _This is a really bad idea...fuck it. _Emma flipped the wifi router off and waited for the impending storm by the name of Hurricane Regina to blow.

What the hell was wrong with her laptop? That was the third email she tried to send that was just sitting in her outbox. Regina snatched her phone up and shot a text off to her assistant about the laptop having an issue and watched as the blue bar stopped halfway through the send function and refused to move any further. When the red, undeliverable notification popped up her brow furrowed in annoyance. Further investigation into her phone revealed a 'no connection' message next to the wifi setting.

Matt almost knocked Emma over as he raced onto the bridge. "She's gonna kill him, I swear to God, she's got Taylor cornered!"

Emma calmly took a step back and stifled a smirk. "What seems to be the issue, Mr. Barrett?"

"We were working on the aft deck and she came around the corner demanding to know what happened to the wifi. Taylor said he didn't know but then made some little comment to me when she turned around about how she probably used it all up and she just went at him."

Grabbing her walkie, Emma paged Taylor to throw him a life preserver. "Taylor, please report to the bridge immediately." She waited for a response, receiving none, she tried again. "Taylor, Taylor, come in." Matt's eyes widened more with each second that ticked by.

"Do you think he's dead?"

Emma rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I highly doubt he's been beheaded, but you may want to go back and check on him. And tell Ms. Mills we are very sorry, but there is a problem with the wi-fi."

"Yes, Ma'am." Matt walked over to the Comm. control panel. "Do you want me to take a look at it? I'm pretty good with-"

"No." Emma interrupted quickly. "Trust me, it's just out because of some incoming weather interfering with the satellite connection."

Matt gave her a puzzled look but shrugged his shoulders and decided to see if he could go save Taylor from the executioner.

Emma laughed as he left and sat to go over the course charts for the rest of the day. Regina would get over it...she had to, right? Doubt started to creep into her thoughts but she quickly dismissed it. _Don't you dare cave now._

"Ma'am, you can't go up there. Guests aren't allowed up on the-" Matt's panicked voice echoed up the stairs.

_Shit. Poker face._

"I don't give a damn what is _allowed_." Regina cut him off. "Where is Captain Swan?" Her voice grew louder as she reached the top of the steps and found the blonde at the controls. "What the hell kind of ship are you running here, Miss Swan?"

Matt appeared over her shoulder a half a second later. "I'm sorry, Captain, I tried to tell her-"

Emma left her eyes glued to the completely uninteresting depth-gauge display screen in front of her and raised a finger in Regina's direction indicating for her to wait a moment. An icy sneer afixed to her lips, Regina stalked across the room.

"Oh, am I interrupting your work, Emma?" She spit the words from her mouth while Emma continued to study the screen. "Perhaps when you're good and ready you could pull yourself away for a moment."

Stifling a grin, Emma turned slowly in her chair and looked up at Regina. Seeing that gorgeous face flush with anger, her breathing elevated, Emma's mind flashed a memory of a similar image from the previous evening. Feeling a sudden rush, not knowing where the boldness came from, she met the icy glare above her with a smug smile. "Relax, dear. You wouldn't want to...lose control."

Every muscle in Regina's body tensed as she fought to control her urge to reach out and smack that smart little mouth. Clients who dared speak to her that way did not make the same mistake twice. _She is _not _a client._

Emma's eyes widened just a little noticing Regina's hand flinch up a few inches from her waist like she was getting ready to backhand her. Emma stood up quickly as that same hand formed a white-knuckled fist and lowered itself back down to her side.

Regaining her composure, Regina met Emma's eyes, now on an equal plane, her voice low and controlled. "You'd like that wouldn't you?"

Stepping around Regina and brushing her shoulder as she passed, Emma addressed Matt who was still standing in the doorway looking like a deer caught in headlights. "Mr. Barrett, I believe I can handle our guest for now. You may go back to your duties."

Turning around as Matt quickly escaped the bridge, she was met by Regina who had closed the space directly behind her. "I do not require _handling _Miss Swan." Regina glared at her. "I require the wireless internet to be restored so I can get back to my work."

All guilt and shame forgotten, Emma closed the space just an inch more and adopted a sweet sarcastic tone. "_Come..._now, Ms. Mills. I wouldn't want to stop you from _finishing..._your work."

Regina blinked, her mouth dropping open at the brazen emphasis of those words. "Let me take a look at the connection status."

Emma turned again and strode to the communications panel. Feigning interest in the confusing array of switches and lights she fiddled pointlessly with a few of them before quipping at the panel, "Hm. Seems the internet is being a...very...bad...girl." Turning slowly back to Regina who wore an incredulous look of shock she added, "We have some weather in the area and she tends to get a bit finicky when things get rough." _Are you crazy?_

_Oh Captain, how I've underestimated you. _Regina snapped her mouth closed and reaffixed the sneer to her lips, her voice eerily calm, her eyes dark and stormy. "Miss Swan, I was very specific about my need for a steady internet connection. I expect this to be remedied within the hour, is that understood?"

Emma's boldness was beginning to waiver as she worried she had crossed a line with the 'bad girl' comment. Would Regina make the connection and realize Emma had looked at her emails. Her sudden shift from flustered to coolness was unsettling. She prayed her poker face wouldn't fail her now but felt her confident posture starting to crumble.

Not waiting for a response, Regina took a step toward her and continued. "I have been willing to overlook your...deficiencies, up to this point, Miss Swan, but you're lack of ability to properly run this ship is becoming disconcerting." Emma had shrunk back into the wall as the shorter woman seemed to tower over her with disdain. "It would serve you well to consider making this issue a priority, Captain, I do not take disappointment well." Regina watched as her words penetrated Emma's bravado and she struggled to keep her eyes from flicking away from Regina's. Taking one last step to close the distance between them and placing her finger under Emma's chin to lift her eyes back to meet her, Regina locked her gaze to hers. "Stop cowering, dear. When I want you on your knees, you'll know." Emma's mouth fell open as the brunette disengaged, spun on her heel, and exited down the stairs without looking back.

_Turn it back on, you idiot. No. _What the hell was wrong with her? Regina could have her head and more importantly her job, if she complained to Nick. He liked Emma, but she was still just an employee and was there to do a job, besides even if he refused, she had a feeling Regina would just buy the yacht from him simply to have the pleasure of firing Emma personally. She should turn it back on. Now…_No._

_When she wants me on my...who the hell does she think she is? _She wouldn't do it. Despite the intimidating implications in Regina's words, despite the threat of losing her job, or at least the crew tip, she just couldn't bring herself to cave on this. Her job was to give every guest the perfect experience, everything they required and desired. Just because Regina Mills didn't know what she needed, didn't mean Emma wouldn't give it to her. _Yeah, I bet you'd like to give her everything she desires._ Emma's blush further strengthened her resolve. Regina would be forced to take a break from work and she would just have to learn to like it. This was nuts. She better be right about this and she better come up with a good plan to distract Regina from her current state of acerbity.

Two hours later and the blasted undeliverable message was still there. Regina had already ripped Matt a new one twice in the last hour for the issue still not being resolved. It wasn't that she didn't understand that the weather could indeed affect the satellite capabilities, it was more the fact that there wasn't a visible cloud in the sky that had her wondering if Emma was playing games with her. Her demeanor on the bridge certainly seemed cocky enough, but then again she had avoided her all day up until then. _I have never met someone so infuriatingly confusing._ Regina was used to people telling her exactly what they wanted or more often allowing her to do the telling. Emma Swan was not cooperating in the slightest and it was driving Regina mad with passion of both the angry and lustful varieties.

She had been sitting on the sun deck torn between throwing her cell phone off the deck in frustration, going back up to the bridge to confront Emma again about the wi-fi and plotting ways to end Emma's career. _She read your emails. _Oh come on, she had no proof of that. Didn't she though? That little 'very bad girl' comment was no coincidence. It was spoken much too deliberately to have been a coincidence. _So what are you going to do about it?_ She half wanted to demand Emma tell her the truth, half wanted to call her boss and have her fired immediately, and half wanted to just use the information to bring Emma to her knees quite literally until she was begging Regina for mercy. She was also aware that those three halves added up to one hundred and fifty percent which was just fine with her since she never was one to half-ass any effort. But since all three objectives were in direct conflict with each other she'd have to choose one. And since only one would lead to both her getting to the truth and getting into the Captain's...head, she chose the latter.  
  


**************

Emma stood in the galley putting the finishing touches on dinner. Matt was on watch and Taylor was off for the night already so she had no choice but to serve Regina herself. She told herself it was fine. This was all part of the plan. She knew Regina hadn't done much relaxing despite the internet being disabled. Matt had the verbal scars all over his face when he had twice begged Emma to let him at least look at the router. Plus, judging from her scowl and consistent checking and throwing down of her phone as Emma watched her still furiously pecking at her laptop keyboard from the bridge, she hadn't given up on trying to get some work done offline. With a deep breath, she headed up the stairs with the first course.

_Just don't suggest another soak in the hot tub. _Chuckling to herself as she entered the aft deck, Emma spotted Regina at the railing where she often waited for her. She was wearing tight white jeans and a deep purple, button down shirt that looked like it had to be tailored, it fit her curves so well. Emma stood appreciating the way those jeans made the shorter woman's legs look like they went on forever for a few seconds longer than she had intended when Regina arched an eyebrow in her direction.

"Since I highly doubt you're here to tell me you've done something useful and fixed the connection issues, Miss Swan, would you at the very least like to place my dinner on the table or would you prefer I eat it out of your hand?"

What is it about this woman that got her so damn easily flustered? Emma wondered as she felt her skin flushing with what she wasn't sure was frustration or embarrassment. _You're in control here, remember? _Clearing her throat, Emma set the truffle risotto she had painstakingly prepared to perfection on the table and pulled out Regina's chair for her. Filling her wine glass, she carefully set it down with a decent amount of space between it and the dish.

Other than the snide comment, Regina seemed oddly calm for someone who had spent the afternoon throwing high-end electronics around although Emma did think she looked tense and was proven correct when Regina took her seat and did the telltale head rock to the side wincing slightly.

_Okay, time to play nice. _"Ms. Mills, I really do want to apologize for the inconvenience of the internet issue. I've had my engineer working on it all day but there is just nothing we can do until the satellite is able to reconnect. _Liar. _Perhaps after dinner you'd care to take advantage of some of the on-board amenities to fill your time."

"Despite your inability to provide me with one of the few things I required in my specifications, I was able to get some work done this afternoon. I can respond to important _emails_ even when offline, I just can't send them." Regina's emphasis on the word 'email' did not go unnoticed.

_Shit._ "Oh...yes, that's...that's good then." Emma wanted to smack herself for stuttering through her response. "Anyway, as I was saying, we have a few things on board you may be interested in, besides um, (_do not say it) _the hot tub." Emma wanted to punch herself this time but Regina didn't even flinch. "We have some movies and other things in the main salon."

"Miss Swan, I do not require board games and subpar acting to entertain me." Regina's voice dripped with disdain. _I can think of much more entertaining games to play with you than Monopoly, dear. _Emma frowned and nodded, leaving Regina to her risotto.

Back in the galley, Emma prepped the next course while trying to come up with something that would actually interest Regina after dinner so she wouldn't go back to her blasted laptop. Another one of her specialties, a seafood lasagna with homemade pasta and an epic cream sauce if she did say so herself. She didn't know why anyone bothered with boxed pasta when fresh was so easy to make and a thousand times better.

_Think. No Parcheesi, no "Goonies" and NO HOT TUB. _Emma snapped her fingers. _Telescope! _Emma grinned and grabbed the plate and a white wine to pair it with and headed back up the stairs.

She grinned again when she entered the aft deck and noted Regina's clean plate. If there was one thing she wasn't going to lose tip money over it was her food. Regina may not be heaping on the verbal praise for it much, but empty dishes don't lie. Swapping the empty plate for the full one she noted Regina hadn't finished her first glass of wine yet.

"Would you like me to remove that one and pour you a fresh glass of this? I really do recommend the Lucien Le Moine with this dish. It has a delightfully deep flavor." Regina didn't answer her, instead plucking the half full glass from the table, she brought it to her lips and threw her head back draining the stemware in two seconds flat.

Emma felt her stomach twist in a very familiar knot that shot straight between her legs at the sight of Regina's neck arched back so perfectfully, her throat working the liquid down in two large swallows. As she lowered the crystal back to the table a tiny drop of red wine fell from the corner of her mouth and was caught expertly by Regina's thumb which was then completely enveloped by her lips to suck it clean.

"Mm, I think the red was also _delightfully deep_ don't you, Captain Swan? Much too good to waste." Regina's tone was low and her movements calculated. As she raised her eyes to meet Emma's an audible whimper escaped Emma's lips that she immediately cleared her throat to cover up.

"Ahem, yes it would certainly be a shame to waste it." Emma poured the white into a clean glass, her hand visibly shaking as she willed herself to calm the hell down. Biting down hard on her lip to refocus herself, she was almost successful in ceasing the tremor in her hand when suddenly Regina's fingers curled around her wrist.

"That's plenty, dear. I wouldn't want to over do it and...lose control." Regina practically purred the words leaving her fingers wrapped lightly on Emma's skin. She could actually feel the blonde's pulse quicken when she echoed Emma's same words from earlier in the day.

Emma just stared at her wrist and the cool, slender fingers that squeezed her flesh just a little too long to be considered casual, unable to pull her hand back for fear of spilling the wine that balanced precariously close to the lip of the bottle. Eventually Regina did release her grip but instead of just letting go she allowed her fingers to slide slowly over Emma's skin until just her fingernails traced the last few centimeters of contact, causing goosebumps to raise on Emma's entire arm.

_Get a grip, you had your hands all over her shoulders last night. What's your problem? _But she knew what her problem was. It was the way Regina's touches always seemed to last just a little longer than they should have. Like she wanted them to last even longer and was always forcing herself to break away. Emma knew it was just manipulation but there was a small part of her, okay a big part of her, that also thought it was more than that, that _wanted_ it to be more than that. The image of Regina in the hot tub gasping her name flashed into her brain. _I don't think you have to worry about it not meaning more._

Regina's eyes were still on Emma as she shook her head, looking like she was having an internal conversation with herself that she clearly losing. Emma's brow furrowed, but she turned to leave when she remembered the reason she had come sweeping back upstairs with such enthusiasm just moments ago.

"Telescope!"

"Excuse me?" Regina was not expecting that word to be the one Emma would choose for her first one in over a minute.

"Sorry...I um...we have a telescope on board and I noticed last night you seemed to be enjoying the stars. It's a clear night and we are further out to sea now so there's almost no ambient light. You'd be able to see a lot."

For just a moment, Regina blinked at her, not knowing what to say. It was rare that anyone ever took the time to notice what Regina actually wanted or liked. She was usually the one providing what others needed, not the other way around. "I...I don't think I'd know how to use one." Regina replied softly finally dropping her eyes from Emma's almost looking embarrassed.

"Oh, it's not too hard. I can show you the basics if you want." _Christ, what are you doing? You don't need more reasons to stand too close to her. _But she didn't care. Regina seemed so affected by the small gesture she had to take the chance if she was going to get her mind off her work and off of getting Emma fired. "I can set it up for you now, and when you're done eating, why don't you join me on the sun deck. I can shut most of the lights up there so we can see better"

Regina just nodded and picked up her fork. Emma could have sworn she saw a small smile creep onto her face though, before she hid it with her wine glass. Emma turned and walked casually down the stairs until she was sure Regina couldn't see her anymore if she was looking and then raced down the rest of them like a child on the hunt for presents Christmas morning. _Okay, where the hell is the blasted thing?_

After ripping through three storage closets and grilling Tom over the walkie on whether it had made its way down to the engine room storage area by any chance she finally found it tucked into the back of the laundry room closet. _What idiot put this here? _Deciding it didn't matter, she headed up to the deck to set it up.

After getting it into position and turning off the unnecessary deck lights, Emma stood fiddling with the various lense knobs to adjust the focus. Bent at the waist staring down into the viewpiece she was oblivious to Regina's presence until her warm breath was in her ear, her voice curling the same way it had in the galley that made Emma want to jump, squirm, and beg for more all at once.

"See anything interesting, dear?"

Emma felt a bolt of electricity in her gut as her brain registered the way the brunette's body hovered so dangerously close, yet not touching her, that she could feel the air between them warm. "Uh, yes actually. I was just trying to get the Milky Way in focus for you. See that smudge of light up there?"

Regina looked up, her neck elongating and her mouth dropping open slightly. "I thought that was just a cloud."

Emma was struck by the simple moment of wonder on Regina's face. It was so unlike her usual pinched look and Emma couldn't help but smile as she watched her. "Well, think of it like a cloud of stars. Billions of them all concentrated in one spot like water in a rain cloud"

Regina didn't lower her head and continued to stare upward completely taken by the sight above her. Emma leaned her head down to the eyepiece once again and made one one final adjustment. "If you look here you can see it a lot clearer."

Regina brought her eyes back to level and followed Emma's finger that tapped on the eyepiece. She stepped up the telescope as Emma slid out of her way and lowered her head. "It's a little fuzzy still."

"Oh we can fix that. This is the focus knob here; just twist it away from you until it becomes clearer." Regina reached her hand up without looking away from the lense and placed her hand on one of the dials. Without thinking Emma raised her hand and placed it gently on top of Regina's, moving her fingers to the correct place. "This one," she said softly as she left her fingers on Regina's skin for just a moment, her thumb brushing absentmindedly across the back of her hand before she realized what she was doing and snatched her fingers away.

As she watched Regina fiddle with the focus, she wondered...hoped, she hadn't noticed her lingering touch. But of course, she had.

Regina's smirk crept over her lips unseen by Emma because her eye as still down on the lens. "Would you…" She began hesitantly, keeping her voice small. "Would you help me with the focus?"

"I...um, sure. Let me know when it gets better." Emma hesitated, waiting for Regina to move her hand off the instrument but when she didn't budge, Emma slowly reached forward and placed her hand on Regina's again.

Emma's hand was cool on her skin from the breeze blowing in the front of the ship and it was enough to convince Regina that when she shivered just a little at her touch, the night air was to blame. Emma's fingers manipulated Regina's on the dial as she asked her repeatedly if the image was getting clearer. After an unnecessarily drawn out moment or two, Regina relented finally. "Right there. It's perfect." Emma released her hand and they spent the next few moments in quiet company before Emma cleared her throat.

"Great, well I think you can handle this now, I do hope you enjoy-"

_Christ, here we go again with the running. _Regina raised her head. "Captain, can you tell me what the star over there is?"

"Well I'm no expert, but which one?"

Regina pointed to a cluster of bright stars. "That one"

"Uh...can you be more specific?"

Regina stepped around the back of the telescope and toward Emma who had turned to look at the area of the sky Regina had indicated. She moved directly behind her and leaving only an inch of space between their bodies, pointed over her shoulder towards the cluster again. "There, that bright one."

Emma could feel the heat radiating from Regina on her back and desperately fought a sudden urge to lean back into its inviting warmth. She cleared her throat and asked Regina again which one she meant quietly willing her to close that last inch of space while ignoring the warning bells going off in her head telling herself to keep her cool and that this was all just part of distracting Regina from her previous anger.

As if knowing exactly what shewas thinking, Regina suddenly did close that last inch, pressing her herself softly into Emma's back and unexpectedly placing her right hand on her hip to steady her. She took a hold of her left hand and raised it with her own to eye level, allowing her fingers to rest under Emma's and pointed their fingers to the sky together.

Every muscle in Emma's body tensed at the contact and the soft tickle of Regina's hair on her neck as she hooked her chin over Emma's shoulder and spoke quietly, her breath tickling her cheek. "Follow my finger. That one right there. Do you see it now?" Emma couldn't answer. Her brain could not make a sentence.

Perhaps if she had seen the small smirk that still played on Regina's lips she would have been able to snap herself out of it. But as it was, she stood there caught between freezing and melting as a shiver shook her entire body, a small whimper escaping her throat.

Regina's smirk deepened. She pulled back swiftly and stepped away back to the other side of the telescope leaving Emma screaming at herself internally, her ears registered that small sound as having come from herself. She cleared her throat for the second time in the space of two minutes to buy herself time for an excuse. "Chilly night, huh?

"Not particularly, dear. Are you cold?" Regina lowered her eye to the glass again to hide her grin. "So do you know what it's called?

It took Emma a second to catch back up to where they were again. "No, I...Oh, yes., that's actually not a star at all. It's Jupiter. You can tell it's a planet because it doesn't twinkle like the other lights around it."

"How interesting." Regina raised her head again and looked up at the sky. "It really is mesmerizing." And for a brief moment again, she forgot herself and got lost in the millions of lights dancing over them. A small gasp escaped her throat as a shooting star flew overhead. "Did you see that?"

But Emma hadn't seen anything as her eyes were currently lost in the curve of Regina's neck, the way her hair blew gently in the breeze, the way her chest rose at her sharp intake of breath. Regina didn't seem to require an answer though. Her gaze still turned upward scanning the sky for more movement.

_How can anyone be this beautiful? How can anyone be this baffling? _Emma's thoughts continually circled in her head. One minute Regina could seem to be so manipulative and the next so playful and then condescending and then so genuine. And now, she seemed so innocent, filled with a child-like wonder as she searched the night sky for long moments. She had this way about her that commanded the space no matter which version of herself she was choosing to reveal and it endlessly enraptured Emma's attention as much as the stars above seemed to be holding Regina's. _You should go. Let her enjoy this._

Emma frowned at her own suggestion but knew she was right. Regina had taken a few steps toward the railing while still looking up and her hand rested lightly on the wooden bar steadying herself. Choosing to not interrupt her awed fascination, Emma slipped wordlessly down the stairs and left her to the moment of quiet peace.

A significant twinge in Regina's neck some time later caused her to drop her head to her chest to stretch the muscles. As she rolled her head to the side she was overcome with sudden sense of gratitude for the thoughtfulness of the whole evening. "Emma," She began softly. "I just wanted to say…" Regina turned to face her, cutting off her words at the realization she was alone on the deck. She had no idea Emma had left, or _when_ she had left but her disappointment over her solitude was sudden and unignorable, try as she might to convince herself it was for more manipulative reasons than it truly was.


	5. Twenty Questions

"So if you're interested, the driver can take you into town after the tour and I can arrange dinner for you at a local restaurant this evening."

They had docked in Lautoka, Fiji early that morning and Emma was exhausted. She had been up since three running final procedures and dealing with the dock agents to make sure they would be clear to disembark after breakfast. Emma had arranged a tour of the island for Regina followed by some time to enjoy the local markets and was herself looking forward to getting some decent rest.

"Yes, thank you. I would enjoy that." Regina expression was unreadable and honestly, Emma was too tired to attempt to figure it out as she cleared her breakfast dishes.

_Oh thank God, the chef gets the day off. _"Great. I'll have the local guide take you into Lautoka and then a driver will meet you at the restaurant to bring you back here after dinner."

Regina watched as Emma cleared the last of the dishes and retreated back to the galley. She hadn't given her a chance to invite her to breakfast and once again Regina was intrigued by her seemingly shifting interest level. Last night had been...unexpectedly pleasant and Regina was struggling with her desire to conquer the Captain and a newer, more unfamiliar and confounding one, to get to know her more fully.

Spending the day touring the island and doing some local shopping in port, Regina found her thoughts consistently wandering back to the blonde. Captivating. That was the word for it and her mind bounced back and forth trying to sort out her own intentions.

It had been a long time since anyone had managed to turn her head this way both literally and figuratively. Regina's position did not afford her the luxury of personal relationships without...complications. That was something she had learned quickly, but the hard way, and so she had put that part of her life aside in favor of her business ventures. It wasn't something she would have told you she regretted but it also wasn't something she would have openly discussed with anyone either so it was hard to say how she truly felt.

However, this wasn't real life was it? This was supposed to be a vacation from that and therefore so what if she did want to...was curious about...wanted to just feel…

"Madame?"

Regina's eyes snapped up to the rear view mirror to meet the driver's. They had pulled up in front of a small white building that didn't look like an eating establishment at all, never mind a five-star restaurant. "Is this it?" She inquired, staring out the window with a skeptical eye.

"Yes, Madame. This is the address I was given by your ship's captain."

"Hm." Regina's acknowledgement of his response bore a mixture of skepticism and distraction.

"I'll be back later this evening to collect you, Madame."

Opening the door and placing a foot on the unpaved, hard packed sand and gravel, Regina frowned. "Don't wander too far, Nete. I may need you sooner." Exiting the vehicle and closing the door with a bang behind her, she didn't wait to hear his response and headed up the only visible path which seemingly led to the back of the small building. Her frown deepened slightly at the sound of the car pulling away, leaving her stranded at what felt like a mistake on the farthest end of the island town. _Leave it to Miss Swan to send me out to some..._

As she rounded the corner of the house, Regina's feet and thoughts came to an abrupt halt. Gasping at the scene before her, the back of the tiny white house offered an expansive patio area overlooking a breathtaking view of what seems like the entire island chain. Lush greens and pinks popped against the cerulean waters. She couldn't have counted the shades of blue in the water if given hours to stare. The patio was surrounded by the tops of large trees growing on the cliffs just underneath and the deep oranges and purples of the flowers seemed to foreshadow what promised to be an assuredly stunning sunset in the next hour or so.

"Madam." A soft voice from her left pulled Regina from the hypnotism of the view. Standing a few feet away, a barefooted man dressed in all white, loose-fitting clothing, holding a tray with a champagne glass placed upon it had appeared. Even the drink bore a similarity to a sunset as it gradiated from bright yellow to red.

As he handed her the drink and stepped aside, gesturing for her to lead the way, she noticed a small setting she hadn't before. There, on a slightly raised platform at the end of the patio was a small table, dressed in all white linens with a scattering of those orange and purple flowers from the surrounding trees mixed tastefully in amongst what looked like elegantly rustic, possibly handmade china. Regina picked up one of the flowers from the table and inhaled it's sweet scent as her quiet companion for the moment pulled the single chair at the table out for her.

"Hm." The tone of her acknowledgement bore little resemblance to the one from just a few minutes prior as she settled into the comfortable seat and took a sip of her drink. The bright flavors of pineapple and strawberry lightened by what she could swear had to be peach rum although she'd never seen that particular flavor available elsewhere. Thinking she would have to inquire as to purchasing some for herself as well as the hotel bar, she made a mental note to have Ms. Blanchard look into its acquirement as her steward seemed to have quietly slipped away.

Settling back to enjoy her drink and the view she allowed herself to relax and hoped the obvious exclusivity of the experience meant the meal to come would meet her expectations. The long day of exploring and shopping had made her hungry and the light aroma of food in the air was making her stomach insist on attention. She pushed the thought of the hours she might need to spend in the gym when she returned to reality to the back of her mind as she mused over the decadent multi-course meals she had been treated to thus far. Regina wasn't normally one to overeat, often forgetting to eat at all when she was at work, so it wasn't like she couldn't afford a slight overindulgence when she allowed it.

From the first course to the seventh, Regina was treated to a meal unlike any she had ever experienced. Each one featuring local seafood, fresh fruits and unfamiliar spices so expertly and delicately prepared in perfect portions and timing to ensure her satisfaction without being overfilling and the plating of which seemed to almost mimic the deepening colors and richness of the sunset. Cote', as she learned her server was called after inquiring, was both attentive and unobtrusive making sure her wine and water glass never went empty without being a nuisance.

As Regina sat enjoying the appearance of the first few stars of the night in the slowly darkening deep blue twilight of the sky, she nursed the remaining sips of what had to be the best cup of coffee she had ever tasted. Served black, which normally wouldn't be acceptable, she had trusted Cote's reassurance and was delighted by the absolute lack of bitterness to the drink. The beans tasted like they were ground fresh just minutes before brewing and she smiled at the hint of hazelnut on the back of her palette. So this was where Captain Swan procured her coffee. This was most assuredly going to be added to her list of personal procurements from this trip.

Regina sighed deeply, enjoying the solitude and perfection of the evening but there was something...something she couldn't allow herself to entertain long enough to admit a conscious effort to brush it away, that continued to interrupt her complete peace with the moment. There was a small part, a tiny, almost imperceptible part of her that wished the table had been set for two this evening. Sighing again, Regina watched the view fade further towards darkness while the image of a certain blonde with bright green eyes and a captivating smile _definitely _did not intrude again.

  
**************   
  


It was after ten by the time Nete had returned Regina to the ship and she found the vessel oddly quiet for the night. Surprised no one greeted her upon her return, she assumed the crew had either been given the night off again or had called it an early night after being in port all day and most likely working on things they couldn't focus on at sea. It was of no matter to her, however, as she didn't require anything at the moment. Upon returning to her stateroom, it was obvious that it had been cleaned and prepped for her to retire for the evening.

Regina glanced at the clock on the nightstand and gauged her level of tiredness. She wasn't really sleepy despite the long day, just a bit sore and physically drained. Thinking she could probably figure out how the hot tub worked, she decided a quick dip in the warm, soothing water could work some of the kinks out of her back and headed up to the deck after changing into her suit and throwing a robe on over it.

Emma lay her head back and let herself relax as the steam from the bubbles curled up into the night sky, obscuring some of the stars from view. Enjoying the on-board amenities wasn't something she would normally do on charter but after a long day of restocking supplies and taking care of some routine, but normally not her job, maintenance issues around the ship she just needed a few minutes of relaxation to smooth the edges of her frustrations down. Besides, Regina was probably still on the other end of town and even if she wasn't would be exhausted and go straight to her cabin when she returned. Pulling her glass to her lips, the burn of the scotch she had poured herself contrasted nicely with the icy temperature of the liquid as it slid down her throat.

"Mind if I join you?" Regina had been observing the Captain for a few moments now, her eyes following the lines of her jaw, down her neck and past the white string of her bikini top to where the frothy water obscured further exploration.

Emma's head snapped up to find the brunette dropping the ship provided robe from her shoulders to reveal a solid black bikini with gold rings where the ties should have been. _Damn._

"I...I'm so sorry Ms. Mills, I just-" Emma moved to get out of the water.

Regina cut her off mid-stammer with a wave of her hand. "Don't be ridiculous, Captain. It's a beautiful night and I don't blame you for enjoying it. Please...stay. I don't mind the company."

Emma fought a quick battle in her head over the appropriateness of the situation, especially considering their last hot tub interaction, but Regina was already sinking into the warmth of the tub and to attempt escape now would seem like a direct rebuke of her invitation. So instead, Emma sat back against the far end of the pool putting as much distance between them as possible and tried to look casual about the fact that Regina was half naked less than three feet away from her, making subtle, almost sexual, noises over the feel of the jets on her aching muscles. Emma only realized her mouth hung open at the vision before her when Regina's eyes sought contact with hers and an obvious smirk worked its way onto her lips. Her jaw closed with an audible click when she became aware of being caught staring.

"I think, Captain, this has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth, don't you agree?" Regina inquired with a slight twinkle in her eye while maintaining eye contact. "The views here are spectacular and I for one, just cannot keep my eyes off things when I find them so attractive."

Emma's mind worked over the sentence and the suggestive way Regina's eyes slid down to her chest when she finished the question before flicking back up, her eyebrows raised, awaiting a response. _Get a grip, woman. You're not some horny teenager._ She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she was a professional. For the hundredth time. "I agree completely. Having traveled extensively, I must admit the beauty of this place has ruined me for many others."

Regina tried to hide her smirk beneath a smile. "Is that so? Well, that is a shame, dear. I suppose you'll just have to enjoy it while you can and hope to return often to experience it again and again." Regina pretended to ignore the fact that Emma's line of sight had slowly dropped to her cleavage and additionally pretended that the deep breath she took raising her chest slightly out of the water wasn't for the blonde's benefit at all.

Emma reminded herself again, of her professionalism when Regina finally gave her a reprieve by dropping her head back on the edge of the tub to look up at the stars. There was something about this woman that made Emma feel both uncomfortably studied and at the same time drawn toward when she held her gaze. It was unnerving and inexplicably attracting all at once. It was no wonder she was so successful in business, she must have half of Vegas on their knees for her.

"So," Regina spoke toward the sky, fully aware of Emma's eyes on her exposed neck. "You've traveled extensively. Are you searching for something in particular or running from something specific?"

When Emma hadn't spoken for a full minute in response, Regina almost lifted her head but instead decided to wait her out. The answer finally put forth, was not exactly what Regina had been expecting as it was not in fact an answer at all.

"How did you get like this?" Emma wanted to drown as Regina's head slowly uprighted itself and a pair of mesmerizing, dark eyes seemed to both push and pull at her once again. Why the heck wasn't she better at policing what came out of her mouth around this woman?

"Get like what...dear?" Regina cocked her head to the side and kept her tone just shy of snide at the open rudeness of the question.

'I'm sorry...I didn't mean to make that sound...What made you decide to go into the hotel business?" Emma hoped the red on her face wouldn't be obvious in the dim light.

Regina continued to stare for beat and then the conscious decision to let the original statement go could be visibly seen in the slight relaxation of her jaw. "Answering a question with a question is an avoidance tactic, Captain."

"Always asking and never answering questions is a control tactic, Ms. Mills." Emma quipped back, this time with slightly less reserve. Regina clearly enjoyed staying on the offensive and self-admittedly abhorred small talk, so if she wanted to start commenting on Emma's psyche she was going to get it right back.

Regina blinked twice at the comment and then threw her head back and laughed. "Touche', Captain Swan, touche'." It was the second time Emma had seen her truly laugh since boarding the boat and the way her face glowed when she did so forced an involuntary matching grin to appear on Emma's face.

"Alright then, Captain." Regina draped her arms on the back of the tub and crossed her legs under the water, regarding Emma with a playful smile. "Tell me then, is that really your burning question, or is there something else you'd actually like to know?"

"Do I only get one?" Emma mimicked Regina's position and the two suddenly looked as if they were squaring each other up for a battle of wits in which the cockiest would take home the trophy.

"Mmmm" Regina hummed contemplatively. "One for one, then. Is that fair enough for you, dear?"

"It'll do. Although I reserve the right to veto if I don't want to answer something; you are not permitted to veto and all answers must be truthful." Emma set her expectations forth as if speaking to her crew.

Regina's chuckled lightly and smirked. "So demanding. But I don't take orders, Captain." Regina's eyes flashed in defiance. "As the terms of our contract are not yet settled I will offer back. You may veto no more than...two questions by invoking a safe word. Hmm...Apple, I think." A lift of her brow checking for agreement on the term resulted in a slight nod from Emma followed by an indication to continue with a flick of the blonde's fingers.

"I maintain the same right to veto but as I am the guest here, I will have no limit on the number of such." Regina lifted a finger into the air cutting off an obvious forthcoming protest from Emma. "Trust me, dear. There is almost nothing I can think of that you'd ask that I would hesitate to answer. I am not easily embarrassed." Emma closed her mouth and let Regina continue.

"I promise to be truthful in all statements and you will do the same, all questions must be specific and avoid vaguery; and no running if you get uncomfortable. Agreed?" She stuck her hand out across the water and waited for Emma to seal the terms with a shake. Emma frowned and mulled over the rules of the game, then sighed and shook the brunette's hand once, firmly. How did this go from a simple conversation to what felt like a contract with the devil in the space of a minute?

"Good gir-." Regina hid her grin with a small bite to her lower lip as Emma's eyes widened suddenly. "Very good then. So, the hotel business-"

"No." Emma cut her off.

Regina quirked an eyebrow in her direction.

"That's not my question anymore, changed my mind. New terms, new question."

"Changing the question is not in the rules, dear." Regina chastised softly.

"It's not _not_ in the rules either, so…" Emma challenged back.

Regina huffed a small breath through her nose and smirked. Shaking her head like she was entertaining the whims of a petulant child, she indicated for Emma to continue with a wave of her hand.

"Why can't I reserve a room at the Cortland Hotel through your website? It indicates that reservations can only be made by phone. That seems a bit archaic for the information age." Emma lobbed the question across the water like a loaded grenade but Regina hid any surprise at the unexpected inquiry with a dark smile.

"Someone has been doing their research, I see. Are you interested in making a reservation then?"

"Ah-ah." Emma scolded. "No answering questions with questions, remember?"

Regina scoffed but inwardly felt herself begin to warm at the chess match they were beginning to play here. "The Cortland Hotel caters to clientele with very... _specific _needs; I find it best to offer a more personal touch when booking guests. A website simply cannot provide adequately for the individualized preferences and privacy my guests prefer."

"What on earth could someone be that worried about? It's Vegas. Everyone wants top shelf liquor and privacy, right?" Emma was having a hard time following the vagueness of Regina's answer. "I mean you're not doing anything illegal...are you?"

"First of all," Regina's tone was conversational. "You only get one question at a time." Emma rolled her eyes and Regina resisted a sudden urge to reach out and give her a reminder as to the unacceptability of being a brat but managed to continue with only a short pause and _slightly _more stern tone. "Second of all, The Cortland engages in absolutely nothing illegal as all guests are perfectly aware of the amenities and services offered and sign a binding contract upon making their reservations."

"See? That. Why would staying at a hotel require a con-?" Emma cut herself off as Regina's lips formed a thin line of disapproval. "Okay, okay. It's your turn." Emma conceded. "But I'm coming back to this next turn."

"Of course, dear." Regina relaxed her expression. "Now then, tell me more about your childhood."

"That's not a question. You need to be more specific; I believe avoiding vaugery was your idea, no?" Emma challenged the brunette back. _If you want to make the rules, you gotta follow them, sweetheart._

"How did you feel when your mother died?" Regina redirected with an unreadable expression that did not seem to match the depth of the question.

"I…" Emma stammered, her voice catching in her throat at the unexpected probe, eyes dropping to the water. "Sad...of course, I… I dunno. I was eight." Emma shifted, sitting up straighter. "I moved on, did what was required, and was strong."

Regina sat quietly gauging the blonde's reaction and waiting for her to continue. It was as if Emma had thrown a switch halfway through her response. For a brief moment she saw a glimpse of the sad little girl inside, robbed of her mother and then in a visible stiffening of her back, she slammed the door on the shadow of her pain.

Emma's eyes met Regina's again when she hadn't responded for a few seconds and then rolled at the eyebrow quirked in her direction encouraging her to continue. "Look, I'm telling the truth. It was a long time ago and I got over it just like everyone else does. You have to think about how your behavior affects others and be responsible for managing your own issues."

_There it is then. _Regina nodded slowly in understanding of Emma's clearly birthed need for control. Someone, most likely her grieving father, had obviously not know how to, or perhaps _wanted _to be reminded of their own pain and in turn forced Emma to internalize and swallow every emotional response she had experienced in relation to her mother's death. One could only imagine the trauma those most likely repeated lessons accompanied. Having learned this at such a young age must have permeated every other part of the woman's life. It explained her chosen, solitary profession and her success in such all at once. In one short sentence, Emma had laid out the encyclopedia of her psyche.

To indicate that Regina felt sorry for her suddenly would have been inaccurate. Regina Mills did not make a habit of pitying people for any circumstance, however, it did convince her that she needed to tread lightly on the control issue. The mask of strength Emma wore was not born of privilege and ego, it was chiseled into her soul as a necessary survival skill_. _Regina couldn't help but be drawn to the obvious complexities of what Emma must feel inside everyday. Approaching life from the angle of constant control wasn't unfamiliar to Regina, but the root of her need most certainly was.

Regina's expression had gone unreadable again. Her thoughts mixing between calculating her next move and the unexpected similarities between herself and the woman seated across from her. Emma studied her quietly as Regina suddenly seemed lost in her own mind. Breaking the silence with her own question, Emma turned the tables with a calculated risk.

"How did you feel when _your_ mother died?"

"Relieved." The pure honesty slipped from Regina's lips without permission, having only half-heard the question over her own thought process at the time. "How did you...?" Emma mimicked Regina's arched brow from a moment prior encouraging her to continue.

Regina sighed and turned her gaze to the side of the deck, avoiding eye contact. "My mother was a...difficult woman. To say we didn't see eye to eye on many things would be an understatement. She was cold, demanding, and impossible to please." Emma fought the urge to scoff at what sounded like a pretty accurate self-description of Regina Mills, to be honest, except for maybe the cold part. Despite her frustration with the woman, there was something about the brunette, the way she occasionally dropped the mask to laugh or lick a plate that made Emma think there had to be some warmth under all that ice somewhere.

"Well she must have been incredibly proud of your accomplishments. To have achieved what you have at such a young age is extraordinary."

Regina laughed again but this one wasn't that light, loose sound Emma had found herself beginning to crave. This one carried an edge of bitterness and mirth with the weight of long introspection and irony. Turning her head back to look at the blonde, Regina smirked.

"Mother was not exactly thrilled with my line of work...what little she knew of it anyway." And there it was again. Regina's ability to deflect was almost as impressive as Emma's and her constant alluding to some mysterious or nefarious line of work, basically dared Emma to be bold enough to ask, but she wasn't about to give her that satisfaction.

"Yes, well I'd imagine running a hotel that specializes in BDSM and sexual torture would be hard for any mother to accept." Regina's brow lifted in what Emma took as an expression of shock and before the Captain threw her head back laughing, her hand smacking the edge of the hot tub at her own joke. _You want to be mysterious? Try that one on for size…_

"Captain Swan, we do _not_ allow torture of any kind." Regina locked eyes with the still chuckling blonde without mirroring her joviality. "Well...not without written consent and in-depth background checks."

"Right, right," Emma tried to match the deadpan humor of the brunette but was having trouble swallowing her grin. "Wouldn't want anyone getting beaten or chained without an air-tight memorandum of agreement in place." Emma kept her tone serious but when Regina agreed with a nod, she once again laughed aloud. "Damn woman, you must be amazing at negotiating whatever it is you _really _do, cause you are damn good at keeping a straight face."

And suddenly Regina was in her space, close enough to feel her breath on her ear, her hand bracing herself on Emma's shoulder, her knee...oh shit, her knee was pressing… "Captain," Regina purred into her ear as she leaned in impossibly closer, "the only thing funny here, is that you think I'm joking."

Emma's brain once again screamed at her to recover, as it had done about a hundred times over the last few days, but her body chose a more 'deer in the headlights' approach instead as Regina pressed forward one more inch, her chest pressing into Emma's as she reached for the bottle of scotch behind her and then withdrew as if nothing had happened. If it was possible for ones brain to keyboard smash that would have been an accurate description of the thousand things Emma was currently feeling and thinking all at once.

A full minute passed of Emma staring at the unbelievable woman across from her as she slowly poured herself a drink and resettled herself not quite next to Emma but certainly noticeably closer. Another full minute passed of Regina staring back at Emma with a decidedly bemused look on her face.

"Now then, where were we? Ah, yes. My turn I believe." Regina finally broke the silence as it was clear Emma's brain was malfunctioning and as adorable as she looked as she tried to connect all the dots in her head, Regina had more information she wished to garner.

"When was the last time you were in love?"

"I...you...what?" Emma stammered.

"Love, dear. Tell me about her."

_Her? _How did she know? Emma immediately wanted to smack herself. It's not exactly like she'd been so subversive in her interactions. A woman like Regina could probably read her like an open book. Well, Emma thought, she wasn't going to let her see her sweat a second time.

"It was some time ago." Emma began coolly, trying to seem disinterested this time. "She was a junior officer and a bit infatuated with me. Honestly, I don't know if I'd really call it love, more of a fun distraction. Something to make the long days on the ship go faster. It was a training yacht and the locations we were in were not nearly as interesting as the ones I travel to now."

Once again Regina was fascinated by the switches Emma could seemingly throw in her mind. One moment flustered and stammering and the next controlled and measured in every word. She couldn't help but wonder how that would translate into a more intimate setting.

"What was her name?"

"Reb—I believe that completes your turn, Ms. Mills."

Regina smirked and conceded with a nod. When Emma didn't immediately speak again, she cocked her head slightly to the side in question.

"Don't rush me. I'm thinking of the best way to word this so you can't be vague." Emma's brusque tone and near accusation that the woman would cheat made Regina chuckle.

"Take your time, dea-"

"If I was, I mean if _someone_ was to stay at your hotel, they actually sign up to get dominated and beaten by you?"

Regina frowned deeply and studied the blonde. "Do not conflate control with violence, Captain. As I have already stated, nothing happens at The Cortland that is not expressly agreed upon beforehand. And no, very few of our clients are ever seen by me personally. I will admit, of course, to a certain amount of physicality to the sessions but we do not engage in the practice of _beating._" Regina seemed almost insulted at the insinuation. "Those types of establishments are an embarrassment to the art form and pedal humiliation and brutality as anything but what it is."

"Art form?" Emma asked incredulously.

Regina casually dropped her hand to Emma's wrist on the edge of the small pool as much in an attempt to calm her nerves as an assurance she wouldn't suddenly decide to run. "Yes, dear. Don't let your preconceived notions of the practice sway you. Complete submission can be inherently beautiful and powerful when given over to someone trusted. There is nothing wrong with desiring..._needing_ someone else to take control even just for a little while."

Emma tried not to react to the soft touch on her skin, the way Regina's fingers lingered beyond a casual graze and rested there, almost imperceptibly stroking the top of her wrist. She kept her tone even and did not allow herself to flinch away from the woman "I don't think giving someone permission to hurt you is very beautiful."

Regina sighed as if she were addressing a stubborn child. "Would you be surprised to know that most of the time I don't even touch my clients, Miss Swan?" Emma's arched brow admitted as much without necessary comment. "I do not require physical touch to make someone understand that I am in control and they are safe and free to enjoy my authority."

At this, Emma did scoff. "I'm sure you don't."

"Close your eyes, Captain."

"Excuse me?"

"Emma…" Regina softened her voice close to a whisper and stroked Emma's wrist again. "Trust me. Close your eyes and I promise not to touch you."

"You're touching me right now." Emma's volume matched Regina's and the brunette chuckled removing her fingers from Emma's skin. The feeling of loss the move caused made Emma mentally curse herself again for opening her mouth.

"I'm going to ask you again, Miss Swan. Close. Your. Eyes."

If this was Regina Mills' way of asking for compliance, Emma couldn't help but wonder what her demanding it would sound like. Despite her desire to resist the woman's command, she found her eyes had closed without her realizing it and frowned at her own submission . As much as she found Regina intoxicatingly attractive, the new information she had gathered tonight was making her wary of her as well. _You're being ridiculous, what the heck makes you think she'd be interested in someone like you anyway?_ Clearly Regina had a taste for much more submissive women...men? Emma couldn't assume. Either way, it wasn't as if she was asking to tie her up or anything and she could open her eyes anytime she wanted.

"Are you finished, dear?"

"Huh?" Emma's eyes flicked open for a brief second to see the woman hadn't moved from her previous position.

"Ah-ah...close them. I'm simply asking if you are finished arguing with yourself in your head."

Emma snapped her eyes closed again and frowned. This blasted woman was so damned astute.

"Alright, I'll take that as a yes. Lean your head back for me and I want you to tense every muscle in your body as hard as you can for three seconds."

Emma frowned again but did as she was told, as it seemed odd but harmless enough.

"That's it. As tightly as you can and hold...hold…hold." Regina's voice became lower in pitch and volume with each passing command and Emma found herself shaking a little at the effort as well as the slight shiver working its way down her neck.

Regina's voice was like velvet. "Now...you will release and relax at my command, and not speak unless specifically prompted to from this point forward. Do you understand, Em-ma?" The way she said her name...God, it almost seemed pornographic. Okay, if this was how Regina talked to all her clients it was no wonder they didn't require being touched. Unable to speak anyway, as her jaw was clenched shut with the rest of her body, Emma instead chose to give a small nod. She had gone way past three seconds at this point and was shaking like a woman on the verge of hypothermia instead of one relaxing in a Jacuzzi.

"I want you to imagine my fingers in your hair, slowly combing and massaging your scalp. And now dropping to your temples, releasing the tightness in your jaw and face only. Slowly melting away the tension." Emma relaxed her face and although she knew it was just her imagination could almost feel Regina's fingers tracing the lines of her cheeks and jaw. "Now feel your neck and shoulders relax as I gently knead your aching muscles...that's it. Let your head rest back even more now." Emma was suddenly acutely aware of the jets of the hot tub on her shoulders but couldn't help but wish it _were_ someone's hands. It had been ages since she had had a massage or for that matter been touched by someone more intimately than a handshake or hug. "Stay with me, Em-ma." Regina's voice dropped another octave it seemed.

"First your left and then your right. Slowly...feel my hands working down your strong arms, feel each finger, one at a time, relaxing under my touch." Regina watched the blonde from across the short distance between them. The upper half of her body completely relaxed now but she could still see her mind fighting an internal argument. Regina wondered how far she could push her. "Now your chest." Regina couldn't help but smirk as she saw an almost imperceptible twitch in Emma's brow. "Feel your chest relax, my hands sliding down, kneading and massaging across your...stomach. Your abs and spine releasing." Regina's smirk deepened as Emma took a breath and her chest rose out of the water to reveal quite obviously taut nipples pushing against the tight white fabric of her suit.

_Someone's enjoying this. _"Finally, let your legs relax. Starting from your toes, let each one go." Regina moved now, closing the space between them to just inches but being careful not to touch the blonde. Emma's eyes still closed, almost completely under the spell of Regina's voice, ghosting over her skin with the not-quite-there touch of her hands, she felt as if she were floating; nothing left but the sound of Regina, the touch of Regina, the heat of Regina.

"My hands sliding up your calves to your thighs, sliding higher, let go Em-ma. There isn't an ounce of tension left in this body, is there?." Emma didn't think Regina actually wanted an answer which was good because her desire to speak had left her. She was rewarded for her correct assumption with a chuckle. "Good girl." Regina whispered the endearment directly into Emma's ear and watched as a visible shiver ran through the blonde's body accompanied by a small, slow smile. "Now…" Regina breathed a soft sigh against Emma's skin. "Tell me what you want."

There was no thinking involved in the whispered response. There was no more game being played as Emma's mind seemed to have taken a vacation, completely lost in the ethereal moment, the silken caress of everything Regina and the words fell from her lips as if separate from her conscience and embodying every piece of her soul all at once. "Kiss me."

Regina gasped lightly at the delicious twist in her core upon hearing the blonde's supplication. She grinned hungrily at the woman before her but would not be so easily commanded. "No." The grin on the brunette's face dropped quickly as Emma seemed to crash back into herself suddenly.

Emma's eyes flew open, her brain processing the request she had just put forth and the world snapped back into place. What the hell did she just…? She didn't just ask her to…? _No? _"I...I have to go take care of…" Not bothering to finish her sentence Emma sat up quickly, grabbed for her towel and the hand railing, stood up at the same time and began to exit the water.

Regina had pulled back across the space to give Emma room to flail and shook her head at the retreating woman. "Emma!" Her tone was harsh enough to make the other woman freeze with one leg on the deck and the other still on the ladder. "Sit down. Now." And Regina almost thought she would obey. For one fleeting second she could see the woman begin to shift her weight back towards the ladder and then that damned switch flipped again and Emma was gone. Captain Swan stood on the deck and threw a withering gaze over her shoulder that would have phased anyone else but Regina. "Goodnight, Ms. Mills. Breakfast will be served at six, as per your preference sheet."

She watched her practically stalk across the deck and down the stairs that led down to the crew area as if she had been personally insulted by her own lapse of control. A mixture of emotions tugged Regina's mind in opposite directions. She knew she had not only gotten under the woman's skin but had gotten behind the mask to reveal a small piece of what Regina knew had to be there all along. A desire to give in. A need to relinquish the responsibility, to let someone else take over her mind and body. _And then she ran...again._ Regina frowned. This paradoxical woman was becoming more transparent but no less frustrating. Grabbing her towel, Regina hopped out of the water and dried quickly. She threw on her robe and headed across the deck toward the same stairs the blonde had used with an aggravated huff. She had better go apologize or the idiot was going to spend all day tomorrow avoiding her again.

When Regina descended to the crew area, she found it deserted and frowned again. Where on earth could she have gone? The only logical place was her quarters of course. Regina headed down the hallway and paused just outside the door. What the hell was she going to say to her anyway? She hadn't done anything wrong. _You made her uncomfortable._ Regina rolled her eyes at her own admission. _She was only uncomfortable because she won't admit she liked it. _The sound of a throat being cleared behind her as she lifted her hand to knock made her spin around with a startled gasp.

"Are you lost?" Emma stared at the woman without blinking in an effort to not look as unnerved as she felt.

"No." Regina met her gaze back but tried to soften her face to appear less confrontational.

Emma felt like a trapped animal in the cramped hallway desperate to retreat into her cabin but with a deadly viper blocking the path. "Is there something you need then?"

"No." Regina repeated but offered no further explanation for her presence.

"If you'll excuse me then." Emma gestured towards the closed door behind the brunette and took a step forward expecting Regina to step to the side and allow her to pass.

"No." Regina dropped her tone and stood her ground unexpectedly.

Emma scoffed and turned her body sideways to squeeze past the slightly shorter woman anyway. "Is that the only word you know how to say?"

As Emma slid along the wall next to Regina, she was stopped short by a hand on her hip and another pressing her shoulder hard against the wall. Regina closed the space between their mouths to an inch, her body pressed against Emma's in all the right places and she could feel the blonde holding her breath despite her slightly parted lips. "Yes." Regina whispered the word against her mouth before sliding her hand up to Emma's face, holding her head firmly in place and capturing her in a long heated kiss.

And God...Regina Mills kissed like no one else Emma had ever been with. She dominated and asked permission for nothing but at the same time pulled and welcomed Emma into her mouth. And her teeth...little nips just short of pain that sent shivers of pleasure down the blonde's back and just when she thought it was over, she pushed into her again and again, leaving her breathless and almost euphoric.

And God… Emma Swan kissed like everything Regina could ever want. Accepting the aggression with perfect submission but taking advantage of every opportunity to push back and explore when given a moment of reprieve. The small sighs and half moans she emitted at each break of contact so supplicating and needy, the light taste of alcohol still on her tongue drawing Regina further in with each taste to seek more sweetness. She told herself to stop; to leave the blonde craving and wanting but found herself unable to pull away.

It was only when Regina produced the smallest whimper upon a momentary break that Emma's thoughts became cogent enough to remember herself. _She's not going to win this one_. That tiny sound, that smallest of admissions, assuring Emma that perhaps Ms. Mills was a little more in need of that relinquishing of control she liked to talk so much about, than she let on herself. And Emma smirked as the woman tried to renew her dominance and placed her hands lightly on the brunette's upper chest and pushed her back gently until she collided with the opposite wall just behind her.

She took a deep breath and stared into those rich brown eyes and waited, Biting her lip playfully, challenging the woman inches from her to advance again. And Regina took the bait. With a low growl she lunged forward to claim that honey mouth again but found herself shoved hard back into the wall before she could take what she wanted with a forceful thud. A sharp gasp at the unexpected physicality allowed Emma to take half a step back, her hand having slid upward almost to the brunette's neck as a slow smirk crept onto her lips at the sight of the breathless aesthetic before her.

"Goodnight, Ms. Mills." Emma held her gaze for a single beat more and then with the lightest push against the other woman's skin, broke all contact, turned and disappeared into her cabin. The click of the door barely registered in the ears of Regina over the sound of her own frustrated growl.


	6. Getting Salty

The following morning found Regina in a foul mood. Having tossed and turned all night ruminating over the conversations and events of the night prior, she had made multiple decisions about how to proceed only to talk herself out of them and stew over the details again and again. The indecisiveness alone was enough to frustrate her to the point of agitation.

Eggs Benedict served with crisp bacon and fresh pineapple with toasted coconut coffee barely touched sat in front of her. This was the first meal that despite its heavenly scents and taste Regina just couldn't bring herself to enjoy. _Coconut_. Regina took a deep inhale of the coffee's aroma. It smelled delicious but it wasn't hazelnut was it? Why wasn't it hazelnut? _The same reason your server wasn't Emma._

Of course it wasn't Emma. But why the heck _wasn't _it Emma. The Captain certainly seemed to gain the upper hand last night in the end and judging from the smug expression on her face as she left her there in the hallway breathless and panting and aching for more, she should be anything but bashful or embarrassed this morning.

The sharp, frustrated clink of a fork against her china plate alerted Taylor to the probable mood of his breakfast patron as he entered the area expecting a clean plate as usual. There was no way she didn't like the food the Cap' had prepared before heading out this morning. He practically had to smack his own hand to not steal a piece of bacon off the plate when he delivered it just twenty minutes prior.

"Can I refresh your coffee, Ms. Mi—. Oh, you haven't finished it yet. Did you not like the coconut? I think Captain said the hazelnut was a little strong for you yesterday."

Regina bristled at his seemingly innocuous comment that she knew Emma had thrown out in the hopes the idiot deck boy would repeat it to her. "Tell the _Captain_, I actually found yesterday's offerings to be a bit timid and wanting. Better yet, why don't you have her come up here herself and I'll inform her, in person, of my needs?"

Weird way to describe coffee, Taylor thought, but he knew better than to argue with the clearly agitated woman. "I'll let her know when she gets back, Ms. Mills. Unfortunately, today is the Cap's— Captain's day off and she won't be back on duty until tomorrow at oh-six-hundred. But if you want the hazelnut coffee, I think Matt knows how to use the coffee maker thingy…"

"That will not be necessary. I seem to have lost my appetite this morning." Regina pushed the plate in front of her a few inches in the direction of Taylor who quickly scooped it up along with the rest of the things on the table. "Perhaps, I'll get something in town later."

"Oh yeah! Captain told me to inform you that the car will pick you up at nine-thirty sharp. She's packed a light lunch for you. The driver will be taking you to the other pier for a morning catamaran ride to the west Island for a relaxing beach and spa day. You're gonna love it!"

Regina frowned. Spending time relaxing and getting a massage sounded wonderful but she knew her mind wasn't going to allow her to enjoy it. And Emma had the day off? Why didn't she inform her of this inconvenience ahead of time? _Because you're not her boss or her master. _Regina was getting sick of the voice of reason that seemed to have taken purchase on her shoulder of late.

Taylor finished clearing the area and excused himself. Damn, this chick was hard to please. By the deep set of her frown, you'd think he had just informed her that she would be touring a garbage dump and cleaning the breakfast dishes this morning.

Emma had gone to bed with a smirk and had awoken with the same cockiness. Shoving the nigglings of doubt that tried to ruin her mood away, she focused instead on the memory of Regina's whimper and gasp as she left her there panting and practically begging for more in the hallway. _All right there, Romeo. Back it down a notch. _But the little devil on her shoulder wouldn't let her bravado falter. Regina liked to play games and this one, Emma had won.

After prepping breakfast and quite purposely using a different flavored, but still excellent, blend and then engaging a very sleepy Taylor in some facetious conversation about it that she hoped he would repeat to Regina, Emma changed out of her uniform and headed out for the day. She planned to spend the morning taking care of some ship business and perusing the local markets for their last round of supplies. Emma loved to cook with fresh local ingredients and without a chef, this charter was giving her free reign to experiment. _Ain't that the truth. _Emma chuckled at her own double entendres.

It was almost four o'clock by the time she finished up her responsibilities and could truly call herself free for the day. Varying annoyances and delays with the port officials had pushed her shopping trip into the hottest part of the day and now as she sat in a local cafe enjoying a cold something or other that tasted like pineapple and liquid sunshine, she sighed deeply and thought about where to have an early, and quiet dinner.

Too bad the big boss wouldn't foot the bill for her at the same place Regina got to eat last night. That place was amazing but a bit out of Emma's budget for the evening. Not that she couldn't afford it if she chose to, but Emma had always been careful with money at her father's insistence, and even when it became unnecessary to watch every dollar she earned, she still had a difficult time splurging on what she deemed frivolities, for herself.

Deciding she didn't care at the moment, she let her eyes slip closed as another sip of the drink tickled her taste buds and the lazy fan above wafted a gentle breeze onto her skin. This place was paradise, with or without the five hundred dollar plus dinner reservation. Ooh..._fish tacos..._

_Fuck! _Emma's thoughts of a delicious local dinner were rudely interrupted by the obnoxious buzzing of her phone on the table in front of her. Please, she begged the gods, tell her this wasn't an emergency on the ship. They were in port for over 24 hours already, what the hell could the issue be?

Snatching the phone off the table she had a Regina Mills moment of her own as her greeting was anything but cordial. "This better be good, Tom."

"Uhhh...Hi Captain, it's Matt. Tom lent me his phone to call you cause he said you might not answer if I used the ship's phone."

"He was right." Fricken Tom. That man knew her too well sometimes.

"Yeah, so umm...we have a little bit of an issue here and I'm not sure how to handle it."

"Spit it out, Matt." Emma impatiently waited for the bomb to drop.

"It's Ms. Mills. She's back."

"On board?" Emma checked her watch again; it was barely after four! Regina wasn't due back until close to nine again with the day Emma had planned for her.

"Yeah, she uh...made the catamaran bring her back early 'cause she said she was bored and she had work to do now that we're in port and have a signal again and also…"

Bored? The woman had a private island tour and then a bamboo oil massage and full day of body scrub pampering complete with lunch and dinner service and she was bored? And she _made_ the catamaran driver bring her back early? That wasn't a private boat! "And also what, Matt?" Emma gritted her teeth bracing for it.

"She said she expects dinner at six**.**" Matt held the phone slightly away from his ear as a string of expletives poured out of the receiver.

Knowing full well the only food Matt and the rest of the boys could scrape up would be in the form of cereal or grilled cheese sandwiches, Emma hung up the phone without another comment and punched in the number for a local taxi service to bring her back to the boat. So much for her day off. Nick was gonna owe her so big for this one she had a feeling she _would _be enjoying a five hundred dollar meal or two on his dime in the near future. At least she better be…  
  
** ************

Regina sat at the table awaiting her dinner patiently. She knew damn well she had cut Emma's day off significantly short and judging by the thirty minutes she had been waiting past the hour now for her first course, she also knew she had thrown quite the wrench in the Captain's evening plans. So much so, she was sure Emma would be fuming or at least highly annoyed and would probably give her a wide berth in order to avoid confrontation. And that, Regina thought, would just not do.

Around a quarter to seven, Regina overheard Taylor's walkie squalking from the open deck above and although she couldn't make out exactly what was said she assumed it was a call for help with service as he scurried down the steps past her and headed for the galley.

"Taylor, dear!" She called to him causing him to skid to a stop and turn.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I'm so sorry to bother you." Regina stood and approached the young man who still had one foot on the steps toward the galley. "But earlier today I was having just a beast of a time with the window shades in my room." Regina placed a hand on his shoulder and gently slid it down his arm to rest on his hand and Taylor could physically be seen turning to putty under her touch. "Would you be an absolute angel and see if you can't get it working for me, love?" Regina's voice dripped with saccharine sweetness most would have seen right though but Taylor seemed only to be able to see the delicate hand that had now slipped up his chest to play with his collar.

"Umm.. yeah of course...I just gotta help Cap with the…" Taylor's voice trailed off as Regina's thumb brushed his cheek.

"Oh, I think the Captain can handle whatever it was by herself don't you?" Regina practically purred watching the little hairs on the boy's neck stand up as a shiver slid down his neck. "Now run along and take care of that for me, dear." Regina threw him a wink as he reversed direction and headed inside towards her cabin throwing a look over his shoulder like he had just had a conversation with an enchanting siren of the sea.

Regina smirked at his back and resettled in her chair knowing Emma would be up shortly and most likely with a new reason to be annoyed now. Exactly three minutes later, she was not disappointed.

Emma stood at the bottom of the stairs and took a deep breath; her good mood from the morning long forgotten. It was bad enough this confounded woman couldn't be satisfied with the amazing day Emma had planned for her, and further bad enough Emma had to give up her whole evening off to make dinner for the queen of control freaks but now Taylor was nowhere to be found and she would have to paste on a happy face for dinner service too. Well screw it, her royal highness, pain in the ass, _Ms. Mills _was getting service, but she wasn't gettin' the smile. Parsnip and leek gazpacho in hand Emma ascended the steps with a decidedly flat expression.

"Soup" Emma presented the plate with none of the finesse of the other meals she had prepared thus far, of course, despite its lacking presentation she knew it would taste amazing. She may not feel like smiling but her standards would never falter.

"You're forty-five minutes late." Regina spoke directly to the dish placed rather unceremoniously in front of her with more than a little disdain in her voice.

"You're four hours early." Emma quipped back honestly not caring at this point about pissing the woman off. Okay, so maybe the cockiness from last night hadn't completely worn off.

"Excuse me?" Regina turned to look up at the blonde with a sneer as she uncorked a bottle of white for her. "I didn't know I was on a strict schedule set by someone other than myself."

Emma sighed. Okay, she may not be in the mood to make nice, but there was no reason to provoke the woman into an argument. To be perfectly fair, Emma had planned the day's activities for Regina without asking her. She had figured a day of relaxing and pampering would please just about anyone but then again, if there was one thing she was quickly learning about Regina Mills it's that she was certainly not "just anyone". Making the decision to keep her mouth shut, Emma poured the glass of Pinot and turned to leave.

"This needs salt." Regina's tone was flat and matter-of-fact.

_Excuse me? _"Excuse me?" Emma stopped and turned not sure she heard her right. That ajoblanco was perfect**.** She had tasted it herself.

"Salt, dear**,**" Regina repeated slowly like Emma didn't speak basic English. "This needs seasoning."

Emma bit her tongue hard enough to wince in order to stop herself from saying something they'd both regret and whirled around retreating down the steps as quickly as she could. _Salt. Salt? She didn't even taste it! _Grabbing the salt from the crew dining table she whipped back out of the galley and up the steps again. Once back on deck she managed to quell her desire to throw it at the brunette and placed it on the table with a loud click.

"Salt."

Regina didn't even bother to turn her head this time, pretending to be thoroughly interested in the deserted dock off to the left. Emma gave a soft scoff at the lack of thanks and turned to leave again. No sooner did she have one foot on the top step to the galley that the words smacked her in the back of the head.

"This isn't Himilayan. I believe it was clear on my preference sheet that I only use Himilayan Pink Salt."

_Okay. You want to play this game? Okay. Fine._ Emma slowly turned back and calmly took the salt from the table pasting a huge and completely insincere smile on her face. Without a word she headed back down the stairs and tossed the shaker on the counter. Grabbing a tray, Emma quickly buzzed around the kitchen gathering the not one but five types of pink salt she had on board. Fine ground, rough chopped, seasoned, shaved, and her own special blend with an olive oil infusion. If the woman wanted salt, she'd get salt. Heading back up the stairs with the myriad of choices the smirk from this morning almost found its way back onto her lips.

As she set the large tray down on the table, clinking Regina's wine glass just a little, Emma bit back a satisfied grunt at the quick visible eye widening she received for her efforts. Of course, not one to be bested, Regina covered the look of surprise quickly and perused the tray as if it were exactly what she expected and had ordered. Taking what couldn't have been more than three grains of the fine ground on the small wooden salt spoon provided, she dropped them into the soup and stirred. She took a sip and stirred again then took another sip before looking back up at Emma with an expressionless calm. "You may take the tray." She waved her fingers dismissively at it. "I'm hopeful I won't require it again."

Emma fought the urge once again to throw something at the woman's head and picked up the tray without comment. If she knew how much Regina was enjoying seeing her almost shake with the effort to control her frustration, she may have in fact chosen to let her guest wear the salt. However, Regina's face revealed nothing and so she headed for the galley again.

The main course of a mix of local fish was ready fifteen minutes later. Thank goodness fish cooked up so quickly considering the time she hadn't had to prep for tonight's dinner. Triple checking the sauce for the perfect level of seasoning, Emma plated the dish and steeled herself for the next round. _Wait!_ Grabbing the peppermill as she exited the galley, Emma smirked. She didn't get where she was by being an idiot.

Regina sighed and dropped the fork onto her plate with a sharp click. "It needs something more." Emma stood slightly behind the woman as she poured her a fresh glass of wine and rolled her eyes. Placing the full glass on the table she reached into her back pocket and whipped out the peppermill, holding it over Regina's dish a second later.

"Fresh ground pepper?" _Bitch. _Emma added the final word in her head while her lips formed a knowing smirk.

"No…" Regina's eyes traveled north as if she were contemplating a great life mystery. Pretending not to see that Emma's smirk had melted into a sneer, she snapped her fingers, struck by her own genius. "Paprika!" Damn this woman's palette, how did she even know that was in there? "Just a touch, to lift the smoky notes I think."

When Emma didn't move, Regina turned her gaze to lock eyes with her. "Is that a problem, Miss- Captain?"

The sneer still firmly in place, Emma snatched the peppermill back to her side. "No. Of course not, your maj- Ms. Mills." Back down the steps she went again; at this rate her quads were going to screaming by the end of the night. Best day off ever..._ugh._

First the paprika, another three grains because she knew damn well the dish didn't need it. Then the water tasted funny. Was this the Fillico water she had requested? Yes it was, but of course Emma was sent on another run to "fetch" a fresh bottle to be sure. _Now I'm a liar?_

Then it was the lighting. Could she hang a small cloth in front of that one to lessen the glare? Eye roll. Could she have just a touch more paprika? Death stare, stair run, eye roll. The wine is a bit warm. Could she get a fresh bottle from the wine cooler? Double stair run, homicidal thoughts, eye roll. Then it was the water again. Not cold enough. Needs a few ice cubes. Stair run, serious contemplations of what life in prison would be like, eye roll. Up and down, up and down, Regina sent Emma, the human dumbwaiter, to fetch this or that until the sweat was beading on her brow and her leg muscles were beyond the point of protest.

And then...then she went too far.

"That's too much ice." Regina's tone was dripping with condescension. And with that, Emma had had enough. She froze for three seconds, her fist tightening until she white knuckled the handle of the ice bucket. Slamming it on the table with a startling enough bang that even though Regina saw it coming she still jumped, she reached forward with her other, crammed her fingers directly into Regina's glass and pulled a handful of ice cubes from it along with copious amounts of the ridiculously pretentious, one-hundred-dollar-a-bottle water. Turning her fist sideways she then proceeded to release and allow the entire handful of frigid shards to pour directly onto the half-eaten plate of food in front of the brunette with a few bonus pieces bouncing into her lap for good measure.

Emma wasn't sure what she was expecting from the ice queen in terms of a reaction but if she had been asked to list the possibilities, the one she got would most certainly not have made the top ten. Regina chuckled softly and calmly picked three of the cubes from her lap depositing them on the deck individually from the height of the table. Each one bounced noisily onto the teak boards, before she shook the rest of them off with the whisk of her napkin. "Took you long enough."

"Excuse me?" Emma's face was red with far more than the warmth of the evening air.

"Oh no, dear. I never excuse bratty behavior." Regina cocked her head to the side and glared up at Emma, her expression eerily amused despite the fiery flash in her eyes.

Brat. The word made Emma bristle even further. She hated the slur. Years of being deemed a military brat, putting up with teachers and later, senior officers who couldn't see her confidence as anything but threatening to their delicate egos, using the word to describe her behavior had made that particular nerve raw even with so many years between that time and now.

"If anyone here is acting like a _brat_, it's the spoiled little rich girl in front of me**.**" Emma rolled her eyes again at the almost feral growl the comment pulled from Regina's throat. It seemed the subjugator did not appreciate being spoken to like a child any more than Emma did. _Noted._

Without breaking eye contact, Regina shoved the chair next to her out a few inches. "Sit down, Miss Swan**,** and so help me if you roll your eyes at me one more time this evening."

"What are you gonna do, punish me?" Emma leaned in to Regina's space, her words weighted with defiance.

Regina felt the heat rising from her core as her stomach twisted heavily in both arousal and anger. This woman, this beautifully obstinate provocation, stirred some wild thing deep inside her; an indescribable urge to simultaneously relinquish and seize control; a maddening divergence between smacking or kissing the smirk off her lips.

"You'd like that wouldn't you, dear?" Regina's tone dipped an octave. "I think maybe... not so deep down after all, maybe just...below...the surface," She reached out and ran her hand lightly down Emma's forearm. "Just under the skin, you're _begging_ for me to put you in your place, aren't you? And I think maybe you're petrified… just maybe you'll find yourself enjoying it more than you'd like to admit...Captain."

This woman, this intensely infuriating and presumptuous obtrusion, possessed this ability to render Emma speechless, to manifest a shiver of heat and ice down her spine with nothing but her words and it made her want to scream in resistance and submit all at once.

"You know what I think?" Emma yanked the chair out and sat not in compliance but in confidence. Leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, she regarded Regina with a smugness that forced the brunette to grip the arm of the chair hard enough to turn the beds of her fingernails white. "I think," she continued without waiting for a response, "I think you've finally met someone you can't control. Someone who can resist your double sided little games. And I think _that_ is what petrifies _you."_

The two women sat regarding each other like chained canines straining at the end of their leashes, unsure of who would pounce first. Both looked as if their barks might in reality _not_ be worse than their bites. It was Regina who broke the staring battle first with a sharp humorless laugh. "We do have a rich imagination don't we? Why don't you put your money where your mouth is then, dear?"

Emma sat back slightly. "You're proposing a wager?"

"I am."

"This isn't Vegas and I'm most decidedly not interested in whatever it is you—"

"I'll double the crew tip**.**"

Had Emma been drinking she'd have likely spit whatever it was halfway across the table. "You'll _double_ the...are you mad?" The average tip for the normal fifteen crew members was around $1,750 each, per charter. Emma never took part of the tip as the Captain's salary was fairly compensated already. However, Nick had been explicit in her taking an equal portion this time due to triple duty nature of the charter. Add the fact that they were only running on a skeleton crew of four...Regina Mills had just proposed a crew tip that would match the sum of the others' seasonal tips in their entirety. Somewhere in the range of fifteen thousand each.

Regina chuckled almost genuinely at Emma's reaction. "Let's just say I don't mind paying for decent entertainment."

Against all better judgement Emma let her intrigue get the best of her and inquired as to the terms of the wager along with the expected payment to be rendered if Regina was the victor. There was no way Emma was digging up a spare sixty thousand in cash in her cabin.

"Very simple. I own you. For twelve hours. Tomorrow is our last night in port before we begin our return trip. I'm assuming most of the crew will be off-ship beginning in the afternoon so disruptions will be at a minimum. I will not interfere with you completing your duties for the morning but you and I both know full well that you have taken care of most of your responsibilities for leaving port already."

Regina was right, of course. Emma never left the paperwork and charting for the last minute and really only had last minute checks and weather mapping to do now. Most of her work would be finished by noon, she suspected. She was also correct about Emma having given the crew the night off again. Matt and Taylor were putting in a late shift tonight making sure everything they could do ahead of time was done for just that reason and Tom was sure to be as ahead of schedule as she was, looking forward to a quiet final night at the cigar bar in town.

Regina continued. "You will serve my meals as usual and from noon to midnight you will obey my every command without question."

"This sounds like a trap; and you still haven't told me what you get if _you_ win."

"Think of it as an exercise in trust. Who better to test the waters of letting go a little with then someone you most likely will never see again in your life."

Emma bit the inside of her cheek in contemplation. Regina was right, again. And if she did win...the crew would probably demand Nick rename the ship after her. But she was still unclear on two things. "How exactly do I lose this little wager and for the third time, what do _you_ get if you win?"

"Simple. You give up. Refuse to perform a directive or use your safe word to end the game and you forfeit the bet. As for me, I do not require monetary compensation. The satisfaction of seeing you give up will be enough." Regina smirked and flicked her eyebrows upward.

Emma did not react to the blatant cockiness but did have one more question. "How do I know you're not going to ask me to do anything ridiculous?"

"We can discuss your limits at lunch. I'll even type something up if you'd like an airtight agreement. Anything you don't feel comfortable with will be respected."

"I don't need a binding contract. I'm not some hotel client of yours. This is just a friendly wager so a handshake will do just fine." What the fuck was she doing? Was she really agreeing to this insanity? She had no idea what this woman was capable of and she was basically agreeing to be her slave for twelve hours? _Okay, calm down. You can always safe word this. _Apple. She could always "Apple" her way out of it if she went too far with it and really...what did she have to lose?

"And me ending it prematurely won't compromise the crew tip beyond the extra, correct?" Emma wanted to be sure this bullshit little game wasn't going to hurt the boys in any way.

"Of course not. I would never punish someone else for your lack of grit."

_Midnight. You can kill her at midnight. _"Fine." Holy crap, did that word just come out of her mouth? Emma stuck her hand out to shake Regina's who simply looked at her while that incessant smirk morphed into a Cheshire grin.

"We can shake after the terms have been outlined tomorrow, dear. As for now, I'd like my dessert, considering the last of my dinner was ruined."

"Oh!" Emma feigned disappointment with dripping sarcasm. "If I'd have known you were coming, I'd have baked a cake."

Standing swiftly, she turned her back on Regina and headed for the interior towards the bridge barking into her walkie as she went. "Taylor! Whatever the fuck you've been fucking around with for the last hour can wait. Get up to the sundeck and clear Ms. Mills dinner plates and then clear down the galley… Now."

Regina's grin did not fade as she watched her go. This...oh yes, this…was going to be very interesting and now all she had to figure out was how to ensure the Captain's complete surrender.


	7. Sign on the Dotted Line

Emma was up early after a restless night of over thinking what she had gotten herself into, but had mostly come to the decision that since she wasn't exactly _risking_ the crew tip, she really had nothing to lose but a little bit of pride. No big deal, right? And besides, she wasn't going to lose this one. Regina would have to rip the proverbial "apple" from her cold, dead hands if she had it her way. As for those little doubts she kept pushing aside and ignoring, well...she was ignoring them just fine.

Despite the tossing and turning late into the early morning hours, when five o'clock rolled around, Emma felt a weird buzz of energy while going through her morning responsibilities. There was a lot to do if she wanted to be mostly finished by lunchtime. One thing she certainly wanted to be sure of, was that Tom, Matt and Taylor all left the ship before this little wager or game or whatever it was Regina had signed her up for, was under way.

Breakfast was sent up on time, but served by Taylor today, and Regina was neither surprised nor displeased to see it as such. She assumed Emma would give her a wide berth this morning, perhaps feeling some trepidation about the wager and was relieved to see that the morning light hadn't allowed silly notions of "reason" and "professionalism" to sway the woman's determination and stubbornness. They were always so much more fun when they had a stubborn streak, weren't they?

When Taylor delivered her hazelnut coffee and a light breakfast of poached eggs on avocado toast he explained how busy the Captain was and got his own surprise when Regina just smiled and thanked him politely. She also smiled at the choice of a lighter fare, knowing that Regina would be taking her often skipped mid-afternoon meal today. If she had to admit one thing, it would be that Emma's attention to detail and dedication to her guests was not to be argued.

Regina spent the morning mirroring Emma's activities, deeply engaged in work related tasks. Being in port had its advantages when it came to cell service and she had seen enough of the island at this point to skip further touring. As it was turning out, this vacation was much more about the journey than the destination anyway.

As eleven o'clock rolled around, Regina switched her focus from work to pleasure and drew up one of her typical contracts with clients as a reference sheet for their impending discussion. This would be tricky, as she wanted to be sure not to scare Emma off before they even began and so she weeded out a lot of the more explicit sections and kept the terms on the more generic side. Besides, the wager ended at midnight and the last thing she was about to do was _order _the Captain to partake in anything explicitly sexual. Full consent was always Regina's guarantee...well, at least within the parameters set forth. No, if Emma wanted to go that far, that was something the Captain was going to have to have to come crawling to Regina on her hands and knees for of her own accord.

  
**************

Regina kept one eye on Emma as she sat back in her chair reading. An occasional brow lift was the only indication that she may take issue with anything she was currently mentally digesting as their lunch of braised calamari over a bed of greens was physically digesting in her stomach already. Eventually, after reading through the paperwork at least twice by Regina's approximation, Emma placed the sheet on the table calmly and sat back again, hands on the arms of the chair and stared hard at Regina for a full minute.

"We agreed there wasn't going to be a contract. I'm not signing anything, least of all...that." Emma gestured disgustedly toward the paper before her.

"Yes. I know we discussed that, but you'll notice there isn't a line for you to sign on the bottom, only one for me. I wanted to assure your comfort and understanding with the terms of our wager before final agreement. Any breach of the agreement on my part will immediately forfeit the wager in your favor, of course." After much consideration this morning, Regina _did _think this was the easiest and best course of action for both of them. It was always better to have something in writing.

Emma regarded the woman across from her with skepticism. "Some of the things in there; you either need to explain them or remove them. For some of them, I'd imagine both."

"Of course, dear. Tell me specifically, with which line items do you require clarification?"

Emma picked up the paper again and scanned her eyes down the page. Was this conversation really happening? Was she actually sitting here discussing the terms of her slavery to this woman she met not five days ago? _It's not slavery. Don't exaggerate. It's a bet. _Emma once again reminded herself that she had control of the situation and could end the game at anytime with no real consequences. Besides, she thought, backing down now would make the next three days, not just the next twelve hours, unbearable.

"This here." Emma slid the paper towards Regina and pointed to a section halfway down the page. "Explain this further...and then take it out."

Regina stayed pressed against the back in her chair as she knew exactly which section Emma was indicating. "Light humiliation." Regina mused, one finger taking purchase on her bottom lip as if deep in thought. "Hmm...how to be more specific… I suppose such activities could include light name calling, wearing of specific items of clothing or jewelry, asking you to get from one place to another on your-"

"Name calling? What are we, twelve?" Emma rolled her eyes. This woman didn't know enough about her to call her anything that could truly hurt her. _Brat._ Emma shushed her inner warning bell. That had just been a coincidence. She didn't know the negative ration that word invoked and she would just remind herself of that fact again if anything else came up. No big deal.

Regina eyes narrowed at the comment but she reminded herself to remain calm for now. Emma continued: "And wearing specific clothing? I'll wear whatever you want I guess, so long as the crew is off the ship and it fits."

Regina waited patiently for Emma to continue with her flippant comments but she seemed to be finished for now. "So...if you don't have a problem with the idea then…?"

"Yeah, whatever. If calling me names and dressing me up makes you feel good. Leave it in. But absolutely nothing goes outside of these twelve hours. No video recording, no pics "

To Regina's credit, the last comment actually shocked her. "Miss Swan, I would never break a client's trust like that." Emma opened her mouth to protest but Regina cut her off. "And you are not a client, so I certainly would never break the trust of an...associate, then?" Emma made no indication of acknowledging the word but supposed it was as good as any if client was off the table. When there was no response, Regina raised a questioning eyebrow. "Agreed then?" And this time Emma did nod, so Regina reached forward and initialed next to the paragraph to indicate a discussion had taken place and terms had been met. "Anything else?"

Emma picked up the paper again and read it a third time.

...primary duty of the contractee is to please. _Basically what I do now anyway._

_..._wait on the contractor as desired. _Again, what have I been doing for the last five days?_

...act in obedience with an attitude of respect at all times. _Ugh... saw that one coming._

Emma looked up from the paper with a smirk. "Respect. So no name calling on my part then, huh?"

Regina met her smirk with a matching one. "You may refer to me as Ma'am or Mistress for the duration of the agreement." Regina's smirk deepened at what looked like a rather thick swallow from the blonde seated across from her and took note of the way she shifted lightly in the chair as if hiding a slight physical reaction.

Emma dropped her eyes back to the paper  
...the contractee will sit, stand, walk, kneel, or lay anywhere and at any time the contractor requires. _I'm going to hate this._

_..._contractee will ask permission before performing any task not specifically instructed. _I'm gonna need to ask permission to kill myself I think._

_..._Cockiness/rudeness, disobedience, incorrectly addressing the contractor, and/or failing to properly serve will result in appropriate and fitting punishment..._Whoa!_

Emma wasn't sure how she had missed that line before but she was glad she was rereading with attention to detail. "What the hell do you mean by punishment? If you think you're going to beat me…"

Regina's eyes burned into Emma's with annoyance now. "Miss Swan, once again, you conflate violence with things out of context. Punishment can take many forms. Deprivation of a desired item or action or, alternatively, an extension of undesired circumstances. I do not need to lay my hands on you to express my displeasure."

Emma shifted again in her chair. What the hell was wrong with her? Did she really just physically react to this woman chastising her like a subordinate? No, it had to be the nerves. This whole thing was crazy. She was _in _control. "I'm sorry...I…" Emma began, her voice small and hesitant. _Pull yourself together._ Emma frowned, cleared her throat and straightened in her chair, flicking the switch again. "So are you insinuating that all physical touch is off the table?"

"Is that what I said, Miss Swan?"

"Not exactly, but-"

"Do you _want _all physical touch to be explicitly excluded?"

"No!" Emma willed herself not to turn red at her too loud answer and brought her voice down to a more breezy tone. "No, I mean, I imagine that would be difficult for you as we'll be spending the whole evening together. You can touch me, of course. But I just don't want to be umm…"

Regina's brow traveled upward again. "Umm _what_, dear?"

_Fuck. _Emma couldn't stop the red from creeping onto her cheeks this time and managed to half whisper the word. "Spanked."

Regina's face lit up with a wicked grin. "Oh my, Captain. You certainly have put a lot of thought into our evening, haven't you?"

"What? No, I…" Emma stammered and hated herself for allowing herself to become so flustered again. What was it about saying things like this out loud that got her all red-faced and shy? It wasn't as if she were a prude on the subject.

Regina chuckled and raised her hand to stop Emma from trying to find the words to explain. It was adorable the way she had whispered the word and Regina filed that information away for use later. "It's fine, Emma. I'm just joking. Will it assuage your fears if I specifically write in that there will be no physical punishments for misbehavior?"

Emma narrowed her eyes and frowned. She did not appreciate being laughed at, even if she were acting a bit naive about this stuff. It wasn't like she entered into this kind of contract everyday, you know. Emma steeled her confidence and set her jaw. "You don't need to put that in. But if I deem a punishment over the line, you forfeit the wager."

"Unacceptable."

"Bullshit." Emma couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Regina bit back at the expletive with an icy, business-like tone. "You will _not _be permitted to decide the appropriateness of your punishments outside the terms of the contract. It could lead to complications and make us both hold back. The purpose of the contract is to be free, within its constraints, as much as possible."

Emma narrowed her eyes and frowned in thought. The damned woman was right of course. She could see herself overreacting in a moment of annoyance and ending things over something minor. But she still couldn't wrap her head around being physically hit and somehow being okay with it.

Regina sighed watching her struggle with the issue. She could read the look on Emma's face of not wanting to seem weak but also being very nervous about this going further than she could handle. "Emma." Regina softened her tone. "This is not about pain it's about pleasure." She reached across the table to rest her hand on the blonde's lightly. "Nothing I do will cause you anything but minor or temporary discomfort at its worst, I can assure you, and if it makes you feel more comfortable, we can introduce a warning safeword as well. If you feel I'm approaching a limit you can use it and I will change my approach without you having to completely end the wager. Is that fair?"

Emma took a deep breath. It was ridiculous what this woman's lightest touches made her feel and perhaps on some level she _was _curious about more. She snatched the pen with a resigned scowl. "This is how it will be then." Flipping the paper over, she began to write and read at the same time.

"One. The contractor may touch the contractee whenever and however she sees fit in a non-threatening manner."

"Two. The contractor agrees that any physical punishment used will make no permanent or even semi-permanent marks on the contractee's body in anyway or she will immediately _triple_ the terms of the wager in forfeit." Emma raised an eye to gauge Regina's reaction to the end of that sentence."

Regina blinked back her shock at the phrasing. Had Emma just given her permission to physically punish her, albeit lightly? The twist in Regina's own core at the thought of the possibilities made the medicine of the indicated almost seventy five thousand dollar tip go down much more smoothly. Plus the fact that Regina knew she would never cross that line. It wasn't her style to mark her clients bodies, that was more Ruby's thing. But Emma didn't know that, and Regina wasn't about to tell her. _Let her think she has a win there._

"Three. The contractee may touch the contractor whenever she wants in turn."

"Four. A warning safeword of…" Emma tapped the pen on her temple thoughtfully. What was another word that was extremely unlikely to come up in conversation between them? ""..."snow" will be put in place and when invoked all the offending activity will cease immediately."

Emma finished writing and Regina leaned forward, slid the paper back over toward herself, and plucked the pen from Emma's fingers. Rereading the addendum, she then quickly crossed something out, jotted another note and then slid the paper back across to Emma.

Neatly crossed out in number three the words "whenever she wants in turn" had been replaced with: "when directed or upon request with permission granted by the contractor."

Emma scowled at the line but still considered the additions a win for her. Reaching across and mimicking the pluck of the pen from Regina's fingers now, she added her initials to the new paragraph as Regina had done before.

"Anything else, then?"

Emma released a deep breath, regarding the brunette with a furrowed brow and slowly shook her head. Regina turned the paper over with a flick of her wrist and flourished her signature and the date onto the line at the bottom. It was done. Or more accurately, it had begun.

  
**************

Matt had just finished up with Tom in the engine room and was with Taylor getting dressed in their shared cabin. He liked that the Captain and Engineer were so forward thinking with their workload, getting things done a full day early meant they'd all have even more time off now. He also liked that Ms. Mills seemed to have no interest in the usual requested amenities of the ship. The jet skis, water slide, and other water toys hadn't been touched in port and that meant loads less work for him and Tay. Honestly, other than keeping on top of the daily cleaning of the exterior of the ship, and helping Tom with whatever he needed, this non-vacation charter had been a cake-walk so far. well...once he figured out how to steer clear of the ice queen anyway.

"Hey Matt, Cap said we could knock off when Tom was done with us, right?" Taylor had already removed his uniform and thrown on a pair of cargo shorts and a white polo, so it seemed he already knew the answer to that.

"Yeah, man. We're out of here. But listen, I don't want to go too crazy tonight. We're meeting those hotties from the other night at the bar on Liku Beach but let's make sure we watch the drinking. We gotta be on deck at oh-five-hundred for undocking procedures and Cap will kill you if you're hung over." Matt hated sounding like he was lecturing the kid but he definitely needed the reminder. He almost never heard Captain Swan swear and last night she had torn Tay a new one for missing dinner service; wouldn't even let him explain.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. We'll take it easy, I swear. But hey, let's stop shootin' the shit here and get going then if you're done givin' me the dad lecture." Taylor laughed as Matt took a playful swing at the arm of the junior deckhand. "Last one off the ship, buys the first round!" He called out as he spun past the bosun and darted for the stairs with him hot on his heels.

  
**************

It was about fifteen minutes before the end of their conversation that Emma had glanced up to see Matt and Taylor basically running down the pier toward the taxi station and although she had been rather preoccupied at the time she did take note that Tom wasn't anywhere to be seen yet.

After the details had been hammered out, or the vague outline of details anyway, Emma stood and began clearing the dishes while Regina folded the contract and placed it inside her laptop case nearby. She had gathered most of the empty plates and glasses onto a tray for easier transport when Regina's watch suddenly beeped loudly. Both women paused in their actions for just a moment before Emma broke the spell by picking up the tray.

"Put that down. And do not assume you are free to do things without my permission again." Regina had her back turned to Emma and spoke in the direction of the water.

Emma gave the brunette's back a quizzitive look. "Uh...I'm cleaning up. Just chill a sec and let me finish this then we can do whatever you-"

Regina turned on her heel and stepped forward into Emma's space. "Miss Swan, this will be a _very_ long twelve hours for you if we have to begin it with you standing in the corner on punishment."

Emma rolled her eyes with a chuckle and set the tray back down. Regina waited for her to stand upright again and closed the space between them even further. She began sweetly. "Miss Swan, if you don't gain control of those lovely green eyes of yours…" Her hand played with the collar on Emma's shirt and then suddenly tightened, pulling her forward to within inches of her face. "You'll find yourself yearning to stare at the corner over I what I have planned for you."

Emma's swallow was audible and the mantra of her control she had been repeating in her mind all morning suddenly seemed like it was coming from miles away. Regina was so close and images of their kiss swam in front of her making it near impossible not to surge forward and capture those sweet lips again. But it was like Regina could read her thoughts and as quickly as she had turned hard she softened again, smoothing the collar on her shirt and backing away to a more polite distance. "Now be a dear, and call one of your little deck boys to clear these things."

Emma fumbled for the walkie on her hip before remembering that Matt and Taylor were gone already. Shit. She couldn't ask Tom to do this, he was her chief engineer _not _a deckhand or a steward. He would think her insane, but what the hell other choice did she have? She would much rather deal with his questions later than with the woman in front of her's wrath now. Tugging the black box off her hip she prayed she hadn't missed him leaving as his exit was most likely quieter than the other's.

"Tom, report to the sundeck please."

"I'm just about to head out, Em. What's up?" His casual tone on the walkie meant he was well aware that he was the last crew member remaining on board with her.

"I...need your assistance with something." Emma hoped he would read her vagueness as a sign of busyness and not of avoidance.

"Yeah, no problem. Just give me a minute and I'll be right up. Hope you don't mind I'm already out of uniform."

"No problem, this will only take a second and then you can knock off for the rest of the day. We've got an early morning tomorrow but you don't have to feel rushed coming back tonight." Why the hell did she just say that? She needed to act casual and not make him think something was up more than he already would when he saw what she was about to ask him.

Emma moved to clip the walkie back on her belt but Regina instructed her to leave it on the table as she would obviously not be needing it again today. After following that simple instruction Emma trained her eye on the interior waiting for Tom and hoping to somehow look busy when he came up.

"Stop fidgeting and sit down, Miss Swan." Regina moved over to the large horseshoe shaped couch and took a seat herself.

"If you don't mind, I'd prefer to stand. I don't want to seem…" The look on Regina's face made the words coming from Emma's mouth trail off. The hard glare she was getting the business end of made it obvious that Regina did in fact mind. Emma sighed and walked over to the couch, and dropped down with one leg tucked under her, choosing a cushion on the opposite end from Regina.

"Such a shame." Regina began. "I can see we need to spend some time helping you learn to follow simple-" She was cut off by the doors to the interior swishing open. Meanwhile, Emma's mind had begun racing with what on earth she could have done wrong already causing her to not notice Tom's entrance until he was practically on top of them.

"Captain." Tom had readopted his professional demeanor in front of their charter guest despite his khaki shorts and colorful, untucked Hawaiian-style button down. He had to admit it was a little odd seeing Emma casually hanging out with a charter guest especially since he had assumed Ms. Mills would be exploring the island on her last day in port. But then again...a mischievous grin took purchase on his lips, maybe she'd rather do some exploring on _board_ with the Captain today.

Emma noticed his grin and tried to throw Tom a look that read: don't you dare. But her narrowed eyes served no purpose other than to widen his grin further. "What can I do for you lovely ladies this fine afternoon?"

Emma took a deep breath and opened her mouth but the voice she heard next was not her own.

"Be a dear, Tom is it? Be a dear, Tom, and bring those things over there down to the galley for us, would you?" Regina purred the request in his direction but kept her eyes on Emma. "As you can see, we're _very_ busy right now."

Under normal circumstances, the chief engineer would have told both the charter guest and the captain of any ship to take a flying leap at the notion of him clearing a table like a junior crew member but the look on Emma's face more than made up for any offense he may have taken. The poor girl looked like a mouse caught in a trap with a deadly viper circling to finish the job and he found it down right amusing to be honest. If anyone could loosen up Emma Swan it would be this woman. Damn, she was gorgeous.

"Oh Suuuure. No problem." His grin had grown to a size his cheeks could barely contain. "Anything else you two ladies need before I head out? Turn down service in _one _of your cabins perhaps?"

Emma shot mental daggers at him as he chuckled and walked down the steps to the galley, tray in hand. Damn, he was going to be all over her tomorrow about this. Third degree, dad's daughter went on a date style. And she wasn't even going to have anything good to tell him...she hoped...kind of...maybe..._stop it._

"Sorry about that. He thinks he's funny." Emma apologized and tried to seem casual, hoping they could move on and Regina had forgotten about whatever it was she had started to correct her on before. Of course, that was a misguided notion. Regina had logged the insinuation of the exchange revealing that Emma had discussed the possibility of something between them with her engineer but it hadn't derailed her earlier thought process in the least.

"You have disobeyed me three times over the course of the last five minutes. You have three minutes then to list those offenses and beg my forgiveness or you will be required to regain my favor in a more creative way."

Emma stared at the woman across from her without blinking. Her mind raced with what on earth she could have done wrong as well as with what Regina's idea of creativity might entail. As the minutes ticked by, she became more and more nervous about her lack of ability to think and the fact that Regina just sat there, calmly staring at her watch with no expression at all made her even more anxious.

When the allotted one hundred and eighty second had passed, Regina looked up from her wrist and flicked an eyebrow northward. "Speak."

"I don't actually think I did anything wrong." Emma decided the best defense was a good offense in this case, considering she wasn't sure what she was defending herself against yet. "I think you just want-"

"One." Regina lifted a slim finger into the air, cutting her off. "You will address me as Ma'am or Mistress at all times."

_Shit. _Running the last fifteen minutes back in her mind, Emma realized she _had _failed to do that. Okay, this one she could remedy easily. Just revert back to her days as a junior crew member and sub in a "Mistress" every once in a while.

"Two." Another finger joined the first. "When you were instructed to sit, you were not invited to join me on the couch, were you? You are expected to know your place." Her eyes flicked down to the deck next to her and Emma's eyes widened in understanding.

"If you think for one minute I'm going to-"

"Three." Regina cut through her protest. "Much like rolling your eyes, sighing when given instruction will be interpreted as insubordination." Regina paused but Emma did not interject again. "And if you don't want to add a four, I would suggest you wipe that look off your face immediately, do you understand?"

Emma fought to relax her face and closed her eyes for a moment to regain control of her desire to lash out. Eleven hours and forty five minutes was all that was left. No big deal. Emma took a cleansing breath through her nose but before she could release it, her chin was grasped none to gently and pulled upward, the brief meditation broken with a gasp. Eyes snapped open to reveal Regina leant forward, balanced on one knee towering above her in the position, her fingers digging into Emma's jaw.

"I asked you a question, did I not?" Regina growled at her and dug her fingers in slightly harder when Emma nodded. "I can't hear nods, Miss Swan."

"Y...yes. Yes, Mistress!" Emma corrected herself immediately. _Fuck. _This was going to be harder than she thought. It had been much too long since she had had to address anyone by a title and _double fuck_ Regina was so close and it was all she could do not to shove the woman off her and down onto the couch and…

"Go fetch me a towel. Now." Regina released her and returned to her original position.

"Yes, Ma'am." Emma dutifully rose and headed for the interior without further inquiry, glad for the reason to escape and catch her breath. Had it really only been a few minutes? Damn, this woman was… she didn't have a word to sum up the thousand adjectives that popped into her head at the thought. Heading to the laundry and grabbing one of the softest towels they had she turned to go back and then dropped, suddenly overwhelmed, onto the bottom step back up to the deck.

_Breathe. You're okay. Just breathe. _Emma fought to calm her shaking hands. How the heck was she going to get through the next eleven plus hours if she couldn't get control of herself? This was ridiculous. She blew out a huff of air. She needed to woman up here. She had all the fail safes in the world and she needed to stop this whining right now. She was a fucking captain dammit, and she would act like one from here on out. _Now stand up and bring the bitch her towel_. She would play the game within the rules and take her control back starting right now. Straightening her shirt, she marched back up the stairs with internal confidence in place and an external swagger to accompany.


	8. Lessons Learned

Emma reentered the exterior sundeck and stopped short. Where the heck did Regina go? Not knowing what to do, but assuming she wasn't supposed to look for her Emma weighed her options. She had a feeling sitting on the couch again wasn't the right choice and subsequently at the table either. She wasn't about to sit on the floor either though so...she opted to stand at the railing at attention.

No less than twenty minutes passed during which time Emma had begun to shift a bit, the warm sun causing small drops of sweat to bead on her forehead. Just as she was about to give up and go looking for the brunette, the doors to the interior swished open and Regina entered without giving a second glance towards her.

She had changed her outfit and was now wearing a pair of jet black pants that looked as if they had to have been made for her the way they hugged every curve without being too tight to be comfortable. She had paired this with a deep purple, button-down top and a thin black belt and Emma suddenly lost the desire to move as the view from the railing had dramatically improved. Regina set a small, gray bag on the table and retrieved her laptop from its case, setting it up on the table as well. Taking her usual seat at the end of the table she opened her email and began to _work? She's working?_

Emma fought the urge to clear her throat. She did see her standing there, right? Over the next five minutes she consecutively fought the urge to sigh, sniffle, cough and kick the storage box next to her to gain the woman's attention.

Regina's back was advantageously to Emma so the blonde wasn't privy to the smirk set firmly on her lips as she worked. Regina finished the email she was working on and opened another before leaning back in her chair and raising her hand into the air. The sharp click of snapped fingers preceded her one word command. "Come."

Emma frowned at her back but dropped the disapproving look quickly as she walked slowly over to the table and stopped just next to the brunette who didn't even bother looking up at her.

"Fold the towel into a small rectangle and place it on the deck, here." Regina indicated to a spot on the floor next to her chair and Emma did as she was instructed without verbalizing the questions she had about the directive. When she had finished the task Regina turned her head to address her directly.

"We will learn three lessons this afternoon. The first of which is obedience. You will learn to follow the rules set forth in our agreement without further error. I have demanded nothing of you that is unreasonable and your ability to remember what I have asked of you is a direct reflection of your respect for both me and our entente. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Very good. Kneel."

_Fuck_. Emma felt a sudden urge to fight the command. There was just something in her that fought against dropping to her knees at someone else's command. Perhaps the long repressed memory of the military school she had attended from ages ten to twelve in which kneeling in the corner was a typical penance for misbehavior of any kind. In those days Emma's self-control had been still undeveloped and she had spent more hours than she could count memorizing the grooves of the hardwood classroom floors as they dug marks into her skin.

Regina took notice of the hesitation and informed Emma that she could kneel on the towel now or could add a fourth lesson to their afternoon and kneel without it later. The not so gentle offer gained her the result she was hoping for as Emma took her place on the soft towel and settled down onto her feet.

"Wise choice, Miss Swan." Regina's tone remained akin to a school teacher giving an unruly student a firm lecture. "You will stay here in this position for as long as I see fit. You will not fidget. You will not speak or make other noise that I may take as disapproval of your situation. You will keep your hands on your lap and your eyes forward at all times. Understood?"

Unsure of whether an answer was expected given the mandate, Emma assumed the requested position and trained her eyes forward across the table to focus on the opposite wall choosing to give a slow nod instead of a verbal response.

Regina smirked lightly and gave a slight hum of approval at the action. She then turned to her laptop and began to delve into her list of neglected emails and business dealings once again. Ten minutes passed and then twenty. When forty minutes slid by without a break in the blonde's posture or demeanor Regina side eyed the woman looking for weakness but saw none, although impressed, she simply shrugged and returned to her work once again.

Weakness was not something Emma Swan exposed easily and although her feet had gone numb and her back was beginning to ache fiercely between her shoulder blades it was a full hour before Regina had the chance to witness any break in her concentration. It wasn't the pain that got her though; pain she could handle and block efficiently for many reasons. It was the boredom. Emma had spent the first forty-five minutes cursing the fact that the designer of the ship had neglected to put anything interesting on the wall opposite them, and the last fifteen minutes reading Regina's correspondence out of the corner of her eye, and without realizing it her head had begun to turn just slightly toward the laptop to increase her range of sight.

All at once Regina's hand was wrapped into Emma's ponytail pulling her head back at a sharp angle to look up directly into her eyes. "Something over here of interest to you, Miss Swan?"

"N..No ma'am. I'm sorry, I was just…"

"Do yourself a favor and do not finish that sentence with a lie." Regina released her hair with a shove but Emma fought the loss of balance easily with a strong core reflex despite the fact that she could no longer feel anything from her knees down.

"It is time for your second lesson." The fire in Regina's voice had quieted back to brusque but business-like. Emma kept her eyes forward and her mouth shut as Regina brought the small gray bag into her line of sight on the table. Loosening the string that cinched the top together, she reached in and withdrew a length of silky black material about as long as her arm and Emma's brow furrowed just enough for Regina to notice.

"Now we will learn discipline**.** Turn your head away from me towards the back of the boat." Emma followed the order, leary of what learning this second lesson would entail and hoped it meant at the very least, getting to change position. As the world suddenly went dark, soft silken material slipping over her eyes, plunging her into blindness with a tight knot tied just below her ponytail behind her, she realized her wish was not going to be granted anytime soon.

"Return to you position."

_Shit_. Emma felt a momentary rise of panic. She wasn't fond of the dark in general but this brought things to a different level and her fight or flight reflexes were threatening to kick in. Regina, sensing the momentary hesitation and tensing of Emma's back, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and guided her back into place. The gentle action was unexpected and worked to calm Emma enough to resettle, but was in contrast to her tone when she released her and continued to explain.

"Besides your lack of ability to follow directions, you also seem to have a further ineptitude for controlling your reactions to things you deem either beneath your station or unworthy of your efforts. Eyes rolling, sighing and a general disposition of annoyance when given a task or direction is unbecoming and not only shows a lack of respect but of control. I would have expected more from someone in your position. You've boasted of your ability to hold your tongue with your superiors, perhaps you should remember who is in charge _here_."

The one immediate positive Emma found to the blindfold was that at least now she could roll her eyes freely while Regina lectured her and not be caught.

"I don't expect you to like everything you are asked to do. However, it is your _place _to keep any distaste to yourself. You will practice your skills in keeping your internal reactions internal now. You will stay here and continue to hold your position for as long as I deem fit and no matter what the distraction or what you are feeling, I do not want to see a reaction. Do you understand?"

"Yes Ma'am." Emma opted for a verbal response this time and tried not to grit her teeth as she gave it. Apparently by the hand that immediately clamped down on her shoulder and the growl in her ear, she was not successful.

"I'm going to give you one chance to amend that tone, Miss Swan."

Emma willed herself to calm down and relax her jaw. "Yes...Mistress."

The "good girl." purred in her ear was unexpected. But what was more unexpected was the deep twist in Emma's core, pulling a slight gasp from her lips as it shot through her. If Regina noticed, however, she did not react and soon after Emma felt her move away, she heard the renewed tapping of the laptop keyboard under the brunette's trim fingernails.

Once again Emma held her position as commanded. But this time what felt like thirty minutes had only been ten. With her sight cut off, sitting perfectly still was proving to be much more difficult. There was nothing to focus on but the sound of the keyboard and the growing tightness in her lower back and soon, as the sun had now moved around the bow of the ship, the increasing temperature on the deck had her wishing for something to catch the beads of sweat as they traced itchy rivulets down her back.

"Remain still." Regina spoke sharply, pulling Emma out of her own mind to realize she had been twisting her shoulders in an effort to scratch her shoulder blade against her own shirt. Emma resettled and resigned herself to the discomfort. This was hardly Guantanimo Bay style torture but still, Regina better end it soon.

An indeterminate time later, Emma was busy attempting to ignore a bead of sweat trailing down her neck when she heard Regina sigh and the slight scrape of her chair against the deck like she had leaned back hard. And then, it was as if every nerve ending tensed and screamed with relief at the same time as short nails trailed up and down her back scratching lightly, delivering a mix of sensations Emma's brain was having a hard time sorting out. The insatiable itch delightfully quelled warred with the part of Emma that wanted to pull away; the part that didn't want relief from the source it was coming from but more accurately, didn't want to _want _it from that source as much as she did based on how her libido was currently reacting.

Emma fought hard not to react to the the perfectly pressured scratching and keep her face relaxed. Regina smirked deeply watching the Captain's mouth twitch and feeling her relax under the relief she was providing. The itch quelled, Regina slid her hand up, seemingly absentmindedly but with much actual intent, and grazed her nails lightly over the back of Emma's neck. The reward of goosebumps and the softest whimper she managed to catch in her throat before it escaped her lips was enough for Regina's smirk to curl into a smile. _So responsive._ Regina loved when she could read a woman's thoughts by the smallest of reactions and Emma was proving to be quite adept in rousing her desire to pull more from the blonde.

Regina watched as she continued to play her fingers along Emma's skin. She could see her clenching her jaw in an attempt to remain stoic and decided to see how good the woman was. Without warning, Regina gently pushed her fingers up to the base of Emma's skull and then dug in as she dragged downward, leaving bright white but quickly fading lines on the woman's skin. Regina's smile was almost predatory as she watched Emma suddenly suck in a breath and hold it, biting down hard on her lip. There was something about having control over someone who was fighting so hard to keep their own that lit a fire in her she wasn't accustomed to, and it made Regina feel alive with an unfamiliar and overwhelming desire to witness Emma both refuse to yield and completely break.

"Did you have something you wanted to say, Emma?" Regina's fingers had returned to their light ministrations and she kept her tone on the bored side of disinterested.

_You better not have fucking marked me, you…_ Emma released her lip and exhaled as Regina's touch returned to its previous softness. Instead of answering the question posed, Emma outwardly relaxed and stared straight ahead into the darkness of her blindfold. There was no way she would give Regina the satisfaction of seeing how angry she was. The thing was...the anger wasn't at the scratches per say; they didn't feel deep enough to have left real marks and she doubted the brunette would be careless enough to have voided their agreement so quickly.

She was angry at the reactions her body was having to what Regina was doing. The deep twists in her core that kept surprising her and making her struggle to hold in a whimper or a moan. It was all on purpose to get a reaction of course, but the point was, she shouldn't be reacting like this. She was supposed to be in control and her damn body was completely betraying her like some kind of hormonal teenager had taken over. And fuck...that scratch. She wasn't expecting it nor was she expecting the pain to send a bolt of electricity to her core like it did. Who was she? And who the hell was this woman with such a hold on her that a few grazes of her fingers on her neck was reducing her to a puddle of need?

Receiving no response as a perfect response, Regina returned to her emails, nonchalantly toying with Emma's back or neck in between each task or during a moment of thinking, occasionally digging additional white lines into her skin.

Emma wished she could tear the blindfold off more than anything. It was as if losing her sight had heightened her other senses and it was becoming increasingly hard to control her responses to Regina's alternating touches. She did however, find herself thankful for the distraction of those perfect nails as it was keeping her thoughts from wandering too far down a path of introspection. She did not want to start self-evaluating her mental and physical response right now. Her therapist could unpack that shit in her next session...well, if she _had _a therapist anyway...

A small strangled whimper of shock ripped from her throat and she tried to cut it off as best she could as her nerve ending registered that the offending burn was actually cold. Ice cold. Regina had taken a cube from her empty water glass and placed it firmly against the base of Emma's jaw, watching, fascinated, as the warmth of her skin immediately began causing a drop of frigid water to trail down the line of the blonde's neck. Damn, she was good, Regina thought, surprised that outside of a tiny whimper and sharp breath the Captain had managed not to flinch away from the sensation. Regina began sliding the ice along Emma's jaw line. "Head back." She gave the simple command and Emma immediately tilted her head back almost to the disappointment of Regina as she was hoping for a reason to wrap her hand into those blonde locks again. But, as it was, she took advantage of the obedience and moved the melting ice in a line down from the point of Emma's chin to the dip in her throat and then with the softest "oops" let it slide lazily down Emma's skin and disappear into her shirt.

Regina's eyes narrowed slightly. She couldn't be sure, but she could swear those beautiful green eyes had rolled behind the blindfold. "Return." Emma snapped her head back to the forward position. Regina grabbed another cube and this time held it in front of Emma's mouth. Just shy of touching her skin, Emma could feel the cold radiating off the ice before it traced a cold path around the edge of her lips. "Open." Regina commanded and Emma dropped her jaw to allow the woman to slip the cold shard inside. Regina placed the cube directly on Emma's tongue but wasn't quick enough to avoid what came next.

As Emma felt Regina pulling her finger out of her mouth she quickly shifted the ice to one side of her mouth and closed her lips around Regina's finger, wrapping her cool tongue around it and sucking deeply as Regina slowly dragged it out of her mouth. Regina wasn't the only one who was playing this game after all and judging from the light gasp Emma's perked ears picked up, she had just scored a point or two.

"When I want you to suck on something, you'll know," Regina growled low in Emma's ear and the resulting double twist in Emma's core lost her a point as quickly as she had gained one.

"It's time for your third lesson." Regina had experienced her own twist of arousal and unfortunately for Emma, she was fighting that desire to melt at the sight and feel of Emma's tongue dragging along her fingers with extra ice of her own. "Now we will learn submission." Emma didn't like the sound of this one.

"In order to be successful in allowing oneself to let go completely, there must be a surrender of the ego. There must be a replacement of the "I" with the "you". A true open desire to submit to the wants of another with no thought of personal gain. The giving of the mind and body to please one's mistress is a gift that one must trust will only result in pleasure, but one must also understand that sometimes pain…" Regina paused, waited for Emma's jaw muscles to relax and then continued. "...Pain can be a path to pleasure, _if _obedience and discipline come first. " She smirked as a small frown threatened the corners of Emma's mouth.

"Is it snowing yet, dear?" Regina purred next to Emma as she reached for the small gray bag on the table again. "You may speak."

Emma ignored the question for now but kept the wintery word on the tip of her tongue in case she needed it. She wasn't fond of where this third "lesson" sounded like it was going. "Would you remove the blindfold, please?" she asked politely, adding a quick "ma'am" to the end of the sentence after a beat.

"You'd like to _see _your next lesson, then? Hm. I suppose that would be acceptable. It is rather attractive and you should know how good it's going to look on you." Emma's brow furrowed at the comment. What the hell was Regina gonna make her wear? A t-shirt that said: "Yes, ma'am"?

Regina slipped a hand onto the knot at the back of Emma's head and loosened the satin cloth. Pulling it free, she watched Emma slam her eyes shut, squinting heavily in the bright afternoon sun she had almost forgotten was there. When her eyes had readjusted, Regina moved the gray bag into her line of sight again. "Rise." Regina didn't particularly want Emma off her knees at the moment but she had a feeling that if she wanted her to be able to walk again this evening, she had better relent on the woman's leg-numbing position for now.

_Oh thank the gods. _Emma did her best to struggle to her feet as the pins and needles attacked her buzzing legs. She may never feel her toes again, she lamented dramatically to herself. Regina indicated to the chair next to her and instructed Emma to sit which she did thankfully and rapidly wiggled her toes to regain the feeling once she had settled.

Regina toyed with the string on the small gray bag and Emma soon realized whatever it was Regina wanted her to adorn was certainly smaller than a t-shirt. But what, then?

Regina played with the string on the bag for a moment for two reasons. The first was of course, to play with Emma's nerves a bit more. Over the past few days, Regina had found herself delighting in making the Captain squirm a bit. The second was in fact a moment of hesitation. This was a lot. Was it crossing a line? No. Regina didn't think so, but then again, so what if it was? She would save herself a good seventeen grand if Emma balked.

Regina stood and lifted the bag from the table as she rose. She stepped behind Emma and rested a hand on her shoulder, thankful for the glass doors across from them showing their reflections. There was nothing Regina wanted more than to see the look on the blonde's face when she revealed her gift.

Removing her hand from Emma's shoulder she reached around in front of her and loosened the cinched top of the bag. Reaching inside she let the bag drop onto the table in front of them as she withdrew the deep purple leather band, studded with silver eyelets and held together by an open silver heart in the center. Regina's eyes never left Emma's in the reflection across from them and a small smile formed at a matching pace to the slow widening of Emma's eyes as the realization of what the item was, dawned.

Emma's brow furrowed and a sharp intake of air was released through her nose with a low growl. Was this bitch serious? A collar? What was she some kind of pet? _You don't fucking own me."_ But...she did didn't she? For the twelve hours agreed to, in fact, those had been the woman's _exact_ words, hadn't they? "_I own you." Fuck. _Besides the fact that in some way she had agreed to this insanity, Emma once again ran the deal through her head. The tip, the safe words. She could use "Snow" without forfeiting but that was only supposed to be for pain and this wasn't actually going to hurt...well, except for her ego. If she used the word for this, Regina might call foul and null the deal and then she would have won. And all collars be damned, Regina was _not_ going to win this. She could attach a fucking leash to the thing and lead her around like a dog and she would...not...cave. _Fuck. She better not even try that shit._

Emma met Regina's gaze in the mirrored reflection and let a smile flicker at the corners of her mouth. Reaching up, she quickly gathered her hair and pulled it out of the way while at the same time dipping her head slightly to allow Regina access to her neck. Emma watched out of the top of her vision as the unexpected invitation first seemed to shock the woman and then curl the most evil of smiles across her lips before sliding the leather strap around Emma's neck and fastening the small buckle at the back.

The leather was surprisingly soft against Emma's skin and contrasted with the cool metal of the heart in the front resting on the base of her throat. She was thankful for the fact that Regina had left it on the looser side and was in no danger of choking due to the restriction. Emma released her hair and sat calmly in the chair waiting to see what Regina would do next.

Regina, in the meantime, was attempting to get her heartbeat under control at the site of the blonde wearing the collar in front of her. Why on earth was the image of Emma wearing her mark of ownership affecting her so deeply? It's not like she hadn't used one on someone before. She did it all the time. Why did this time feel so different, so enticing? It was all Regina could do not to..._Fuck it._

Regina gave in to the desires currently flooding her mind and took what she wanted. A perfect lesson in submission it was anyway. Wrapping her hand into Emma's ponytail she pulled back firmly and tilted Emma's head backward and to the side. Leaning down, there was no timid start, no polite nips or pecks. No. Regina claimed Emma's mouth as her own all at once. Demanding entrance and ignoring the muffled yelp of surprise as Regina explored and pushed deep into her. It only took Emma a moment to recover and begin to enjoy the unexpected but far from unwanted assault. This time however, unlike last night, Emma let Regina completely control the kiss. She submitted to her demands and leaned her head into Regina's pressured hold on her hair allowing a soft moan to release from her throat.

Regina could taste the supplication on her tongue and it made her ache to conquer the blonde further, her free hand sliding upward to rest on Emma's neck just barely squeezing. And God, Emma didn't fight it at all, she just moaned again and seemed to revel in the way Regina's hands held her in place and the way her tongue greedily glided over hers. But enough was enough, Regina decided. There was plenty more time for satisfaction, but for now, she intended to drive the poor woman to the brink of begging and then over that edge. So for now, a taste was all she was going to get.

Regina broke the kiss with a final squeeze to Emma's throat and a firm tug on her bottom lip. Standing straight again and walking back around to the front of Emma's chair, she did not allow the woman time to recover. "Espresso Martini. On the aft deck. Now. And Miss Swan, don't use any of that cheap bottom shelf gin or you'll make it again." She barely looked at the blonde who was still swooning in her seat as she pushed her chair in and exited the sundeck without looking back.

  
**************

Emma stood in front of the bar in the interior salon, mixing the ordered drink. She had to remake the damned thing three times as her mind kept wandering back to the taste of Regina on her lips and the way the blasted woman had just broken away in the end like it had been nothing at all.

And then there was the collar. Emma didn't like what the damned thing stood for and she liked even less how much she sort of...maybe...kind of…possibly liked it. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ Her fingers reached up absentmindedly to brush against the leather for the tenth time since Regina had left her. This was all a game, right? But it wasn't, was it? At least, that kiss certainly didn't feel like a game.

Whatever whim of the moment Emma had chalked up their previous kiss to, this one most certainly was not a "swept away" kind of thing. Emma had seen the look in Regina's eyes upon fitting her with the collar. Hungry. Predatory. Wanting. Regina had known exactly what she desired and took it. As for how Emma felt about being taken in such a manner without permission? All decency told her she should be offended to the highest level, and all reality told her the dampness between her legs thought otherwise.

Shaking her head for the thousandth time in disbelief at herself, Emma finished up the drink, added a swizzle stick so Regina could mix in the chocolate around the top edge of the glass as desired, and headed upstairs, tray in hand.

Regina sat on the aft deck shaking her own head at herself. What the hell was that about? It was highly uncustomary for Regina Mills to run from any situation and yet...run she had. In the moment she had felt utterly in control. In the moment she had told herself, this was all part of getting Emma to break. But there was more to it than that and she knew it. The way her mind drifted back to the kiss and the incredible need _she_ had felt. It was almost as if she couldn't help but kiss her. This was extremely out of character for her. Regina never kissed her clients and ok, for the hundredth time, Emma was not a client, but still… _She didn't fight it. _Outside of the first two seconds of shock, Emma had welcomed it, almost begged for more when Regina had made moves to inflict even more dominance. So why did she stop?

Emma was not the type to take to losing well and Regina knew that if she could get her to cry uncle there was slim chance that she would be interested in any further interaction other than strictly professional. But...then again. Maybe that was for the best, no? This whole thing, these...reactions Regina was having to the woman...they were ridiculous really, weren't they? What was she expecting here? It's not like anything real was going on. _Stop overthinking everything._ She needed to focus. This was about the bet and nothing more. The Captain was playing for money, and if there was one thing Regina Mills always did it was bet on the house winning, and she...was the house.

  
**************

"Clean it up"

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Correct your tone and your language this instant, Miss Swan, and clean it up before I make you do it on your knees...with your tongue."

Emma stared incredulously at Regina, her eyes flicking down to the alcohol infused, chocolatey mess all over the deck boards between them and then back up again. This woman was fucking insane. When Emma had brought the drink to her moments prior and she pointed out that Emma had used milk instead of dark chocolate to paint the rim of the glass, admittedly Emma had rolled her eyes a little, and maybe she had whispered an errant plea to the Lord peppered with the word _fuck, _but she had also offered to remake it.

But was that good enough? No, apparently not. Apparently the proper response was to take the glass and upend the entire thing slowly onto the goddamned teak decking like a psychopath. And now she expected Emma to clean the mess _she _made up? She ought to take the mop and show the bitch exactly where she could shove her dark chocolate drizzle.

Regina cleared her throat and lifted an eyebrow waiting for Emma to respond. Emma chose not to however, and instead whirled on her heel and stalked off in search of a mop and bucket mostly because she was worried about staining the deck boards and not at all because she was threatened. If her majesty wanted her to use her tongue on her knees, this wasn't the way to do it.

Emma gritted her teeth as she wet mopped the drink off her beautiful wooden decking, enduring a stern lecture on manners and profane language while she did so. "Profanity is unbecoming and shows a lack of both respect and etiquette. It is only permissible in certain situations." Emma arched a questioning brow in Regina's direction accompanied by a sceptical look that made Regina's eyes flash and her lips curl upward. "Situations...in which one cannot express themselves otherwise." The indication was clear that she was referring to sex and Emma's face reddened slightly as she turned away to continue cleaning. Regina cleared her throat and continued. "As for you once again being unable to control your physical emoting of distaste, you will choose a proper punishment for yourself, since the one I chose for you earlier clearly did not make a lasting impression."

This punishment stuff was really starting to annoy her. "Yes, your majesty. Shall I run and get a switch from the yard?" Emma jammed the mop into the bucket and whirled back to face Regina, her momentary blush forgotten. "Excuse me. A _fucking_ switch?"

Regina stared at her for a long minute. Her expression flickered back and forth from anger to disappointment. The angry look Emma could handle, but the other one...the other one made her desire to challenge the woman shrivel up inside her and never want to be rude again. "Look, I-"

Regina held up a hand, cutting her off. "It's clear you need a break, Miss Swan. Once you are finished there, you are dismissed. I will let you know when I require your presence again" She turned and walked across the deck to the lounge chair and took a seat, stretching out in the sun with her head back as if she hadn't a care in the world.

"I don't need a break, it's just that I don't think…" Emma let herself trail off as Regina paid her no attention and settled into her reclined position further. _Real mature._ Emma huffed a frustrated sigh and grabbed the mop and bucket as she headed for the interior.

Three hours had passed since Regina had dismissed her. It was coming on dinner time and Emma was practically bouncing off the walls of the interior with boredom and frustration. She had tried everything from cleaning to reading to watching a movie and nothing seemed to keep her mind from drifting back to Regina. The look of disappointment on her face, the way her fingers felt on Emma's skin, the way she made her so angry she could scream, the twist of arousal she could elicit from the blonde with a few words, the way her lips felt on her own. _This is the stupidest punishment ever! What's the point if I'm not even allowed to be with her?_

And that's the moment Emma wanted to kick herself in her own ass. That was _exactly_ the point wasn't it? Emma's thoughts returned to the discussion they had before this whole thing had begun. _Deprivation of a desired action or item. _God, was she that transparent? Could Regina know that at her core, despite her protests, all Emma desired was to be close to the woman? Emma released yet another frustrated huff at her own admission. This was ridiculous. This was unprofessional. This was infuriating. This was… Emma sighed with resignation. _I'm so fucked._


	9. Trust Me

Emma finished prepping dinner and had changed into a short black cocktail dress at the direction of the note left on the galley counter. In addition, she had also found the requested black tie, t_hank you Tom,_ and had folded that neatly onto the tray as well. Regina had specified that she was not to wear her uniform to dinner and to set a place for two. She hoped this meant she was forgiven for her earlier transgressions and plated everything with even more than normal perfection to ensure she would not disappoint again.

Regina was seated at the table when Emma arrived and damn...her outfit nearly knocked the blonde right off her feet. Gone were to loose-fitting, flowy outfits of the previous days and in their place Regina now donned tight black leather pants and a matching sleeveless, leather bodice with an ornate but subtle pattern of deep purple embellishments. She looked like she was straight out of a BDSM advertisement and Emma's stomach clenched hard at the vision.

Regina smiled as Emma set the food down, pretending not to notice the slight tremor in her hands when she poured the wine. When Emma was satisfied with the setting, she settled into the chair next to Regina and folded her hands on her lap awaiting instruction as she knew Regina would not approve of her just digging in. Regina sat back in her chair and regarded Emma for a moment.

"You've spent a good portion of your life fighting, haven't you?" Regina's topic of choice caught Emma off guard and she was thankful the brunette seemed to not require a response. "Fighting your sense of loss over your mother, feelings of distance from your peers and teachers in your many schools, the lack of respect you must have faced as a young chef and then ship's officer; both career fields dominated by men." Emma still did not know what to say but found herself giving the slowest of nods as Regina continued. "This exercise, this…" Regina waved her hand dismissively. "Wager. This is an opportunity for you, don't you see?"

At that, Emma found her voice, albeit weakly. "An opportunity?"

"Yes, of course. This is about your ability to let go. To trust someone else enough to let them peek past your walls and learn to give up control even for just a moment. Like you did in the hot tub with me. Did you not enjoy that?" Emma nodded again slowly. She had enjoyed that...when it was happening, but then she remembered the white hot embarrassment when Regina had refused her the request she had let slip past her lips that night and a small frown flickered on her lips.

Ignoring the frown, Regina continued, this time more softly. "In the moment, you forgot yourself and just gave in to the sensations. In that moment, you let yourself go. That is what I'm asking you to do again with me, Emma. Trust me. You are safe here. Nothing you don't want to happen, will happen."

Emma swallowed thickly. The issue was not what she _didn't_ want to happen here. That was most decidedly not the problem at all. The issue was what letting go again could mean. She had practically begged for a kiss and the woman hadn't even laid a finger on her. Now after getting that kiss, well, more than one to be precise, Emma didn't trust herself not to beg for even more.

"I want to try a trust exercise with you. Are you willing to try?" Regina's gaze was gentle and patient but at the same time seemed to command an agreeable response.

Emma found herself nodding again as she watched Regina reach for the tie on the tray. "Good girl." Emma's bottom lip caught in her teeth hard as that familiar feeling of a thousand butterflies twisted in her stomach again. Fuck. Since when did she have such a strong praise kink?

Regina rose from the table and circled behind Emma. Leaning what had to be her chest, based on the softness and warmth that spread suddenly across Emma's shoulders, into her upper back she reached forward and took the tie from the table. Letting it unfurl in her hand she slowly brought it to Emma's eyes and tied a quick knot behind her head. _Great. Another blindfold._ Emma's skin alighted with goosebumps remembering the alternating scratches and caresses from the last blindfold experiment and decided to play along for the moment.

The makeshift blindfold affixed to its position, Regina's breath was in her ear. "Is this alright, Em-ma?" The way she said her name...drawing it out into two definitive syllables, it made the blonde desperate to hear it again and again.

"Yes...I...yes." Emma breathed the response.

Emma could hear the hint of a smile as Regina prompted her. "Yes what, dear?"

"Yes...ma'am." And there it was again. The twist, low in her stomach, the slight shiver, rolling down her back, this time not prompted by a specific phrase of praise but simply by an appreciative hum and barley there drawing of fingernails lightly across her shoulders as Regina returned to her seat.

A moment of silence went by in which Emma could only hear the light scraping of silverware against one of the porcelain dishes. Emma's brow furrowed slightly at the notion that Regina was just going to sit there and eat while she sat there but she knew there was more to this. Regina had proven quite adept at choosing their activities thus far and although it felt like she had spent most of the day in "trouble" she had to admit, it hadn't all been bad.

"Open." Emma flinched slightly as a thumb ran lightly over her bottom lip with the command. "Trust me." Regina softened her tone again and let the digit graze across Emma's cheek. Opening her mouth at the reassurance, Emma was immediately rewarded with a gently placed mouthful of smoked salmon carpaccio.

"Good?" Regina asked with a hint of a smile in her voice. When Emma nodded with an appreciative hum, Regina chuckled. "I'll be sure to let the chef know you approve. However, me personally, I think it needs just a dash of salt." When Emma's hum turned to a growl Regina threw her head back and laughed that bright open laugh again and Emma wished she could rip the blindfold off and see the sparkle in the brunette's eyes at her own mischievous amusement but for now, she simply smirked at the vision her mind painted for her.

Still chuckling at her own joke, Regina presented Emma with another mouthful and then leaned back to enjoy her own. "Trust is something that normally one has to earn, isn't it?" Regina asked conversationally and Emma hummed tentatively not sure where this was going. "In most situations, one would be foolish to trust a stranger. I could slip something into your drink or your food and you'd never know." Regina studied Emma as her jaw clenched slightly at the thought. "I won't do that of course, but you see, therein lies the thrill of it all. I could. And you must trust that I won't. You must let go of the fear and control and believe that I won't poison you." There was amusement in her voice but Emma met it with confidence.

"I do believe that if you poisoned me, you'd have a difficult time getting your safety deposit back." Regina laughed again and Emma was beginning to loathe blindfolds.

As dinner wore on, Regina alternated feeding Emma bites of this or that and Emma found the experience surprisingly pleasant. She would never tell her what was coming next and once even threw in an unexpected bite of dessert that made Emma flinch hard. The shock of lemon tart between bites of fish and potato made her flinch and then laugh as the flavor became recognizable. It was like taking a mouthful of root beer and expecting cola. There was nothing wrong with it but the contrast to what the brain expected and what the tongue perceived made her senses revolt for a moment.

Regina had laughed again at Emma's response and had made a comment in relation to death by lemon curd that had Emma grinning and thinking back to her own desire to off a certain someone with saffron just a few evenings prior.

In between bites, Regina would gently wipe the corners of Emma's mouth with her napkin and once with her thumb so slowly that Emma had to physically bite her tongue to keep it from darting out to sample the pad of it. Her reward for her restraint was the distinct sound of Regina sucking a bit of the basil reduction from her finger immediately after and Emma didn't know which was better; the thought of that thumb being cleaned by Regina's tongue or her own.

As for Regina, she spent most of the meal thankful for the blindfold impeding Emma's vision. What the hell she was doing she didn't know. She was supposed to be working on winning this bet and what had started out as a perfect way to tease and torture the blonde had turned at some point in the last hour to her thoroughly enjoying herself and forgetting the goal of the exercise completely.

Regina sighed internally at her constant waffling. She knew this was not something she should pursue and yet found herself constantly drawn to the blonde in a way she hadn't been to anyone in years. There was more to this than just the bet, that she could have easily won by now if she wanted to. Was she really allowing herself to feel this way? She argued back and forth to herself repeatedly about her right to enjoy herself and the nagging feeling that this was about more than just a quick fling. Regina didn't do flings. Of course, Regina also didn't do relationships, not in a long time. But could she?

An exasperated sigh perked Emma's ears and she instinctively turned her head towards Regina. "Did I do something wrong, ma'am?"

"What? I...no." Regina realized her argument with herself had become audible. Attempting to cover the moment she looked for something to blame it on. "You...have a little something on the corner of your mouth."

"Oh. I'm sorry. Do you...want me to get it?" Emma wasn't sure she believed Regina's sigh was in relation to a crumb on her lip considering her previous attention to the same, but decided not to press the issue now. Instead she let her tongue slip from between her lips and gently swiped her bottom lip, purposely missing the corner of her mouth. Did Regina's breath just hitch a little? Emma repeated the action this time slower and strained to hear and yes, she could swear the brunette had stopped breathing for just a second. So Emma wasn't wrong. Regina wanted her just as much as Emma wanted her back. _You can't fake a reaction like that_.

"You missed it." Regina's voice was low and held none of the command Emma had become accustomed to as if she were mesmerized by something. Emma felt her chair pushed back away from the table, warm hands lay on top of hers briefly and then traveled up her forearms to her biceps, then her shoulders. And then...then a weight settled into her lap as Regina straddled her legs and Emma was eternally grateful for the designer of the dining set that allowed for Regina's thighs to slide up and settle her ass firmly into her lap while also allowing her to white knuckle the arms of the chair in shock.

"Allow me." Regina whispered the words against Emma's lips seconds before her tongue slid along the corner of her mouth pulling the smallest whimper from the blonde's throat. The plan to stop there was quickly abandoned by the pull of that tiny moan in Regina's ears and she was powerless to stop herself from deepening the kiss once more. And Emma tried. She tried so hard not to let her hands travel up the alluring woman's sides who claimed her mouth so expertly; tried so hard not to tangle her fingers into the hair of the gorgeous woman grinding in her lap pushing the hem of her short dress even higher, tried so hard to not grasp at the shirt and drag her fingernails down the back of the captivating woman who moaned deeply into her mouth as her tongue glided along her own. She tried so hard, and failed miserably, and of course, there was a price to pay for her indiscretion.

Regina broke away suddenly. Her hands reaching down to her hips and yanking Emma's wrists back to the arms of the chair. "Miss Swan." There was that commanding and demanding tone again. "Need I quote? "The contractee may touch the contractor only when directed or upon request with permission granted by the contractor." Emma groaned and apologized without meaning it. She would do it again in a heartbeat. No woman on earth ought to be allowed to kiss like that and not expect to be touched. It was a physical impossibility and she would do it again if given the opportunity, and she prayed she would, considering how her hands craved to feel more of that warm skin under their touch already.

"Shall we try again?" Regina's hand rested lightly on Emma's throat without squeezing. "Let's see how well my Captain follows orders." Leaning in again she repeated the kiss exactly as she had done before, first swiping her tongue along the corner of Emma's mouth and then deepening it to a level Emma would swear she had never been kissed before in her life.

Again, Emma tried. Admittedly not very hard this time as her hands seemed to have a mind of their own and began to wander almost immediately. Dropping to Regina's knees next to her waist and traveling up her thighs, squeezing lightly when she reached her hips and then continuing up her sides and back down again. This time Regina allowed her to continue just long enough to become more brazen and on her second pass over the intricate embroidery of the bodice, just before the tips of her thumbs could graze the bottom of Regina's breasts the hand on Emma's throat tightened sharply, the kiss was broken abruptly, and the blindfold was pushed up none too gently from her eyes.

"Misss Swan." Regina hissed her name with fire in her glare. "I'm starting to think you enjoy being punished. Unhand me this instant."

Emma had no response and try as she might to send the message to her hands to release the brunette's ribcage, her hands instead just barely moved upward again eliciting a deep growl from Regina. Pushing back from Emma, Regina was on her feet in an instant and all Emma could feel was the cold emptiness on her lap where she had been.

"Stand up." Emma snapped out of her trance at the harsh command and stood, slipping the tie from her forehead as she did so and laying it on the table. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off. "Go perform the turndown service in my stateroom. You've neglected your duties long enough this evening I think."

_Neglected my...I was blindfolded! _Emma shook her head imperceptibly at the backwards logic but knew there would be more to this demand. It was only just past nine-thirty and Regina had less than three hours to win her little bet. Not bothering to ask what to do with the dishes, she could take care of those later, she met Regina's fiery glare with cool indifference like not a thing had just transpired between them. "Yes, ma'am. Any special requests for this evening's turndown? A warm towel or perhaps an extra pillow?"

Regina stared at her for a beat and then smiled the smile of a snake regarding its prey before a strike and picked the tie up from the table. "This." She held it out for Emma to take. "Place this on the nightstand." She paused. "I'll be down in ten minutes and I'll expect you to be finished."

_Ten minutes? Shit_. Turndown usually took at least twenty. Emma hurried off down to Regina's stateroom. Okay, she could probably skip a few things since Regina hadn't been in there most of the day. Just get the bed done, throw the tie on the nightstand, _please no more blindfolding, _straighten the bathroom and toss a few mints on the pillow. That should do it. Wait…was she supposed to stay in the room after she was done? _Shit_. Regina didn't say if she was expected to be there or not in ten minutes. _Shit!_

_  
**************_

Exactly ten minutes later, Emma stood outside Regina's stateroom at attention, having finished a somewhat respectable turn-down only seconds prior. She had decided that since no instructions were given as to her precise location after finishing that it was a safe bet to be close but not actually in the room. Better not to assume.

Exactly _eighteen _minutes later, because she seemed to love to make Emma fidget, Regina appeared in the small hallway and entered the room, passing Emma without a glance. She left the door open and Emma, currently keeping her eyes forward but shifting from one foot to the other anxiously, could hear her shuffling about inside. Five more minutes passed in which Emma had alternately decided to walk away, turn around and slam the door, and stride into the room and throw the woman onto the bed when the sharp and familiar click of Regina's fingers snapping interrupted her internal argument.

"Come."

How was it possible to be so irritatingly demanding and so completely sexy at the same time? Emma growled low in her chest at the command as well as the desire to obey that gripped her and entered the room.

Regina had turned off all but one small light across the room and was standing at the foot of the bed with her arms crossed. "Sit."

_What am I, a fucking dog? _Emma eyes flashed but she controlled her urge to roll them and sat on the bed as instructed. Regina rounded the corner of the bed once she was situated, and approached her slowly. "Miss Swan, you were given simple instruction to keep your hands to yourself, were you not?"

"Yes, ma'am." Emma leaned back on her hands, her answer cool and nonchalant as if she had done nothing wrong.

Regina's eyes narrowed at Emma's casual nature. "And did you manage to follow that simple command?"

"No ma'am. Not even a little bit." Emma's small smirk had grown into a grin. If Regina wanted to pretend she didn't enjoy Emma's hands all over her while she ravaged her mouth so be it, but Emma knew better. Regina's body and those knee weakening, breathy little moans she emitted told a different story.

"Miss Swan," Regina moved closer still, "your lack of remorse for your disrespect is noted and you leave me no choice."

"You loved it." Emma's cockiness made Regina want to both push her down on the bed and ravish her and reach out and smack her simultaneously and it lit a fire in her she couldn't explain.

Taking Emma's chin firmly in her hand she lifted it slightly and locked eyes with the blonde. "Regardless of my pleasure...or lack there of...you were given a command and you once again failed to obey me." The cold dip in Regina's tone had the grin fading fast from Emma's face. "Now lie down on the bed. Face down."

Emma's eyes widened and like a mask was removed, Regina's eyes suddenly softened along with her grip as her thumb brushed Emma's cheek reassuringly. "Trust me," she whispered and Emma felt herself relax. "If it gets too..._cold_ for you, you know what word to use."

_Snow_. Emma repeated the first-level safeword in her head. But dammit, it was almost ten now; she had just over two hours to go and she'd be damned if she was going to break this late in the game. Setting her jaw and slipping the smirk back onto her face she gave Regina a small nod, pulled from her grasp, and spun carefully around on the bed drawing her feet up and situating herself with her head towards the foot of the mattress. Unsure of what to do with her hands, she brought them up under her cheek and rested her head on them.

Regina hummed softly at the compliance and leaned over Emma's back to purr a "good girl" in her ear. "Now close your eyes and stay...pet." She chuckled deeply at the growl she received in response as she could feel the heat of both anger and desire radiating from Emma's face at the moniker. Straightening and moving away from the bed, she stepped out of the dim light towards the dresser and picked up the small leather paddle that had been just out of sight in the shadows. Only Regina fucking Mills would think to bring a paddle on a solo vacation...and a collar...and a leather bodice...

"Now, Miss Swan," Regina's turned to face the bed again, her tone dipping even lower, sending a small shiver down Emma's back as it wrapped around her. "I want you to remember what we discussed today." Emma's mind raced through the many conversations, _lectures_, over the course of the day. _Which one?_

Regina moved back across the room silently and Emma flinched at the unexpected brush of a finger pushing her hair back from her face. The move was too gentle and Emma didn't trust it. A small frown taking purchase on her lips was ignored by Regina who was enjoying watching the blonde squirm. She wondered for barely a beat if she should use the tie Emma had left on the nightstand before remembering the Captain's reaction to her hand on her throat earlier and scoffing at her own hesitation.

Tossing the paddle on the bed behind Emma's line of sight, she stepped toward the nightstand and picked up the tie, running it through her index finger and thumb as she unraveled it. "Reach your hands up above your head." Regina spoke softly next to Emma's ear as she knelt at the foot of the mattress. "Grasp the frame of the bed."

Emma was skeptical of the command but slid her hands out from under her chin and did as she was instructed, allowing her cheek to rest back down directly on the bedspread.

Regina continued, keeping her voice warm as she began to wrap the tie around Emma's wrists watching her grip tighten on the bed frame. Regina had learned through many years of experience that when restraining someone for the first time it was of utmost importance to explain each action as it was performed and give them a sense of control through the process. "Have you had experience with an anchor knot, Miss Swan?" Despite its nautical name, Regina doubted Emma had familiarity with the bondage term.

Emma furrowed her brow at the question, thinking she should know this one, but couldn't place it amongst the fifty or so knots she knew by heart. "No…I don't think I've heard of that one". While Emma's grasp had visibly tightened, Regina's question proved the subconscious distraction she had hoped and Emma relaxed slightly as she thought.

Regina wove the tie expertly around the frame of the bed and back between Emma's wrists to finish the knot. "The anchor here does not refer to a ship of course. It's meant to be a support, to keep you...grounded per se."

"I don't get it."

"Let me show you what I mean." Regina stood and slid her hands up Emma's forearms to her elbows. "If you tug hard on the knot it will constrict your wrists and allow you something to hold onto." She pushed back on Emma's elbows encouraging her to do so, enjoying the way the silky black fabric tightened down on the blonde's alabaster skin. "However, all you need to do is relax your muscles and you can see how easy it is to slip your hands free." Regina gently pulled Emma's hands back up and the twisted material loosened enough for her to almost slip her hands out before Regina placed them back on the frame in their previous neutral position. "You see how it works? The restraint is there if you need something to help you, but you maintain the ability to release yourself if you relax."

"It's like a slip knot sort of." Emma tested the pressure again and surprised herself upon finding she enjoyed the secure but not uncomfortable squeeze of the silk wrapping on her skin, but also appreciated that she could control it and loosen it again when she wanted to. She tested it a few more times as Regina moved around the bed again almost forgetting the situation she was in as she admired the expertise of the binding as the grip stayed tight and then loosened repeatedly.

As a silence between them lengthened, Emma was brought back to the reality of the position she was in. Returning her hands to a comfortable position, she began to wonder what Regina was doing. "Um...so...now what? Like why are my hands-"

"Miss Swan, I make it a rule to normally never punish someone for a misbehavior more than once." Regina's tone had sharpened again, cutting Emma off mid-sentence as she reverted from her previous softness. "However," she continued, "you've made it abundantly clear that your corrections this afternoon were not sufficient in getting the message across with your repeated disobedience."

Emma swallowed thickly at the ice frosting the edges of Regina's commentary. "Therefore, by my count, Miss Swan, you owe me four." There was an audible wicked grin in her tone and Emma felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Uh, four...dollars?" Emma asked hopefully before a matching wicked chuckle snaked its way into her ears and chased the shiver down her back with pure ice.

"No, my dear." Regina's hand was swift and Emma barely registered the sound of the leather ended paddle whizzing through the air before the smack and sudden sting on her backside sent her vision black, her eyes slamming shut with shock.

"Fuck! What the fuck?" Emma's knees had instinctively bent at the impact of the blow and her ass wiggled deliciously in front of Regina as her skirt was hiked up by the movements. Before she could fully recover, Emma found her line of sight forced upward to Regina's face by a sharp twist of her ponytail.

"We've spoken about your language, Miss Swan." It infuriated Emma to no end how she could manage to keep her voice so cool and disinterested like she were discussing the weekly weather. She clucked her tongue and released her grip. "You've just earned yourself a fifth for your foul mouth."

Emma growled low in her chest, capturing her bottom lip in her teeth to stop herself from adding another string of expletives to her running count of infractions. The sting on her backside had almost completely faded already and she realized that most of her reaction had been to the unexpectedness of the impact and not the pain. Regina's touch suddenly softened and the cool indifference dropped from her face like a mask being removed. "Emma?" Regina hesitated for just a second, strangely unsure of this whole thing all at once. "Are...you all right?"

Those three words. It was like an admission of secrets to both women. Regina admitting there was some part of her that actually cared for the blonde and Emma, immediately relaxing under the gentle caress of those fingers and inquiry, admitting she had indeed placed some level of trust in the brunette. Both women were caught off guard by their reactions to the moment and seemed to hold their breath for a beat, but it was Emma who recovered first, throwing her wall back up.

"Is that the best you can do?" she quipped with a smug look and just for a second, when Regina blinked at her as if she were the one who had been slapped before covering it with a small smirk, she almost regretted the cavalier cover-up.

But it was too late to take it back. Regina had accepted the challenge and with a curt nod, returned to the game. "You'll find, Em-ma, that when provoked, I can be quite the overachiever."

This time when the paddle came down, Emma was expecting it. What she wasn't expecting was the practiced accuracy of Regina's aim as she landed the next blow on the very bottom of Emma's ass where her skirt had ridden up to expose the edge of her black boy shorts. You wouldn't think the loss of an extra few millimeters of fabric would make that much difference and perhaps it wouldn't have if Regina hadn't put quite as much backswing into her offense as she did but, as it was, the gasp ripped from Emma's lungs was a relished reward for Regina's efforts and she hummed appreciatively at the writhing of Emma's hips as she attempted to absorb the sting.

Regina allowed Emma time to recover once again and slowly moved to the other side of the bed while maintaining contact with Emma's back, running the smooth leather up to her shoulder blades and then back down again. "Even _that's_ not the best I can do, Miss Swan. Let me show you."

Regina used the end of the paddle to slide Emma's skirt a little higher, exposing her ass even more and brought the tool down swiftly onto the Captain's left and then immediately her right cheek with another hum of satisfaction. Emma tugged hard on the matching black tie that bound her hands, thankful for the snugness of the grip as it was proving to be exactly what she needed to channel her struggle into.

The sured reddening of Emma's skin under her shorts was still not as deep in hue as the reddening of her face as she worked her mind through both a desire to tell Regina where to shove her paddle and a most unnerving and embarrassing ache for Regina to hit her harder. Where the hell was this coming from? Emma pushed the introspection away and focused on getting through the final promised strike.

Regina studied the blonde, wondering if it was just frustration and anger or something more that had her blushing so deeply and decided to investigate. "Miss Swan," Regina dropped her hands to the bed on either side of Emma's head, allowing her chest to rest lightly on her upper arm as she did so and purred in her ear, "I do believe you are enjoying this, aren't you?"

As much as she would have probably liked to, Emma was incapable of answering that question at the moment as the entirety of her thoughts were consumed by the warmth and softness of Regina's breasts pressed down onto her bare arm. However, her body decided to do it for her and Regina quickly found she did not require verbal confirmation. The blonde's face reddening an additional two shades and an apparent deep affectation in her core forcing her to twitch hard enough one would have thought she had been struck again, told her all she needed to know.

Regina's chest vibrated with a deep chuckle that sounded like it was dripping in sex and villainous scheming. "I see." This was quite the unexpected turn of events as she would have bet the casino on Emma putting an immediate stop to this. _So intriguing. _Regina straightened again and wondered as she took her time letting her eyes wander over Emma's prone form beneath her. _What other hidden desires might you be hiding, my Captain?_

The creak of the bed frame as Emma tensed and pulled on the restraint pulled Regina's eyes up to the blonde's wrists. The glimmer of a frown crossing her lips when she noticed how hard Emma was pulling as she tensed for what she knew was still coming. Regina placed the paddle on the bed and ran the tips of her fingers along the lines of Emma's biceps and down to her hands. "Relax," Regina whispered, glad to see the Captain respond to her command.

"Please." It actually stung to softly release that word, but Emma just couldn't help herself. She prayed Regina hadn't heard her.

Warm fingers gently pushed a loose strand of hair from Emma's face. "Tell me what you need."

"I...I want-"

Regina let her nails scratch lightly on Emma's scalp. "That's not what I asked. Tell me what you _need."_

Emma's body once again reacted with a yearning she hadn't felt before and she thought she might be able to spend her life wrapped inside this woman's voice. But no sooner had the thought entered her mind that she pushed against it. What the hell was she doing? Why was she letting this ridiculous bet get to her like this? And since when was even the thought of being spanked, never mind the actual act, something that turned her on in the slightest? _Since now; judging by the dampness between your legs. _Emma frowned at her own sarcasm.

Regina watched the furrowing of Emma's brow, seeing she was losing the blonde to an unspoken inner turmoil. Taking her hand from Emma's hair she let her fingers trace down her back just to her waist playing with the hem of her skirt and waistband of her boy shorts. "Are you going to make me guess?" Regina pulled Emma back into the game and out of her own head again with a playful curl in her voice.

"Does my pet need to be unleashed?" _There's a loaded question._ Regina stifled a smirk at the possible deeper meaning of her inquiry. "No, that can't be it. You don't need me for that." Emma's tension on her restraint loosened again as she released a deep breath. "Does she require a break?" Once again, Regina answered her own question. "That can't be it." Regina's fingers wandered back up to Emma's shoulder and pressed firmly into her muscle. "So strong." She kneaded her thumb into the taut flesh. "So disciplined." Her thumb and forefinger ran a pressured line up the sides of Emma's neck. "So unbreakable." Emma released a half whimper - half sigh at Regina's soothing ministrations. "Oh Captain, _my_ Captain, I think for sure she could take so...much...more."

Regina sucked in a loud breath of mock shock and snapped her fingers. "That's it, isn't it? That's what my pet _needs._" She ran her hand down Emma's back once again, ignoring the small voice that told her to tread lightly, and this time pushed the waistband of Emma's black shorts down, exposing the smooth creamy skin of her ass completely. Bent at the waist, her lips so close to Emma's ear they brushed against her as she spoke, Regina caressed the cheek under her fingers feeling every muscle in Emma's body respond. "More." She dragged the word across Emma's skin and psyche.

"Please." It was all Emma could manage to muster, just a repeat of the same word. But she didn't need to voice all the desire and need behind it. Regina could already read her like she had known her for years instead of days.

Regina turned her head to observe her own hand, gently stroking and massaging the pinkened flesh under her fingers. The paddle was of course, capable of administering a much harsher punishment than one's own hand but there was something much more personal, more intimate, about sharing the experience through mutual touch that she had always savored in special circumstances. And this...this was most decidedly special.

Desiring a clear view of the gift she was presented with, Regina stood once again, placing a knee on the bed to get closer to Emma, but never losing complete contact with her skin. She began to rub lightly over her left cheek as if readying the spot. Regina smiled at the way the whole left side of Emma's body seemed to tighten in anticipation without pulling away. Raising her hand up she waited a beat to extend the beautiful torture for both of them.

The sound of skin on skin coupled with their tandem gasp as Regina brought her hand down as swiftly and firmly as she could muster on Emma's _right _cheek ripped through the frozen silence of the room. The lungful of air Emma had pulled in released in a long pained moan that quickly morphed into one of desire as Regina used her stinging palm to rub and soothe the bright red spot clearly splayed in the pattern of her hand. _Shit._ _Looks like I just forfeited the bet._ No marks, temporary or otherwise. That handprint had just cost Regina about thirty-five thousand dollars and she decided without hesitation, it was unequivocally worth it.

The moan that followed Emma 's gasp was so full of desire and need she almost didn't recognize it was coming from her own chest. There was no moment in her past she could compare this to. No previous experience her mind could compare this fire that seemed to have been lit and now demanded to be tended to. To be fed with...more.

More.

The word still clung to her skin like drops of water, sliding along every inch of her being. It was too much and not enough all at once and it was as if everything else fell away but the burning need for this woman...Regina...to touch her.

And if you had asked her in the moment, she may have faltered. And if you had asked her in the hours to follow she may have found a reason. She may have told you it was aftercare. That the experience can be euphoric at first but required a gentle touch afterward to sate any doubt or shame in the pleasure. There was no question Regina could have answered any inquiry or accusation there of, however, as there was no one there to pose such interrogation, she was not forced to cover her own desire in clinical justification.

Instead, Regina just let herself give in to the same fire lit in her own core and allowed her hands to wander over Emma's body freely. Finding the zipper of her dress, she quickly released it from its clasp, thankful for the style of the outfit in which the zipper traveled the full length of the back of the garment. Once free of its purchase, Regina was able to simply push the dark material to the sides and allow her hands to explore the entirety of Emma's back where she alternated firmly kneading tense muscles and gently tracing the lines of her toned form.

Moving further onto the bed, her fingers never paused as she swung one knee over Emma's right leg, straddling her thigh in order to properly distribute her wandering touch over Emma's back and shoulders. She let her fingers appreciate the firmness of each muscle as she pulled the tension from them slowly, down from Emma's neck and through her lower back. Each pass over new skin greeted with a small moan of appreciation and wanting. Each pass also finishing with a gentle rub over fading, but still marked, flesh.

Emma felt herself relaxing under the expert massage but at the same time, Regina's exploring fingers were doing nothing to ease the ache and pulsing between her legs. _More._ Again that word was all Emma could manifest in her mind and it was as if Regina could hear her thoughts when she felt her bra clasp manipulated to release and those skilled hands press back up to her neck, this time traveling down to her waist with eight perfectly manicured fingernails leaving light white scratches etched on her skin. Emma hissed in a long breath crescendoing in tandem with the added pressure on her skin that exited her lungs in a needy whimper. Regina's eyes half closed at the sound of the blonde's approval and once again lavished attention on her ass before dropping further and sliding down her leg to massage her thighs.

Emma was unaware of the tension in her muscles outside of her arms and back but soon found that Regina's attention to her legs was blissful. All other things aside, Emma hadn't had a full body massage in well...ever.

Regina made sure each muscle was tended to and appreciated, taking her time to enjoy every part of Emma's body and it was obvious by her matching moans and sighs that she was enjoying the giving as much as Emma was the receiving. Her fingers worked Emma's hamstrings, stopping just south of her still disheveled boy shorts but on each pass seemed to inch a little higher until she _accidentally _brushed Emma's center. The hard flinch the move produced would have worried her had it not been immediately followed by Emma's hips pushing downward not so subtly as if begging for more contact.

Regina glanced over her shoulder at the clock on the nightstand which read a dim eleven fifty-two into the room. A small frown flitted over her lips as she realized this would all be over in just a few minutes and most likely, despite her current position and seeming desires, Emma would snap back to hardened self faster than Cinderella's pumpkin carriage at midnight.

Sighing lightly in disappointment, it was all Regina could do not to allow herself to grind into Emma's leg a bit as she slid herself back up her thigh so her hands could return to the Captain's upper body once again. This time as she let her thumbs glide up the center of her back she let her other fingers wrap around Emma's ribs and as she moved further upward, brush lightly against the sides of her breasts. How was it possible for someone's skin to feel this soft? Regina wondered, convinced the Captain must literally bathe in moisturizer daily.

After drawing out the final minutes she had with deliberate repetition of the motion, Regina reluctantly slid her hand back down to Emma's shorts and slid them back up to cover her exposed cheeks. She wasn't quite sure what to do in regards to her bra and dress as refastening them felt strange in the moment so she simply slid off the bed and stood trying to ignore the quizzical furrowing of Emma's brow despite her eyes being closed.

Regina cleared her throat softly. "It's midnight, Miss Swan. You've won your bet and you are free to go."

_What...free to go? What the-_was Regina serious? Unbelievably, Emma had nearly forgotten the reason behind her being in Regina's cabin, much more occupied with the what of the events and less of the why. The question on her face deepened as she easily disengaged her hands of the tie and pulled her knees up to kneel on the mattress. Regina meanwhile had moved across the room busying herself with something on the desk.

Being greeted with Regina's back threw Emma's confidence for a moment and she was unsure of what to do. Being as her outfit was unsalvageable without standing, she had no choice but to simply reclasp her bra and let the dress fall from her arms. She waited on the bed for a full minute and then cleared her throat loudly. When Regina still hadn't turned back to face her after another minute her quizzical expression morphed into a frown.

_So that's it? Your little pet has been trained and now she's dismissed? _She didn't understand. All of it...just was nothing? Emma's chest began to flush with embarrassment. How could she have been so dumb? No. This was bullshit. The pink blotches on her chest and face deepened, now in anger. Anger at Regina for making the whole thing feel like it had only been a game to her. Anger at herself for letting go and falling into the moment as hard as she had. She was a damn fool for ever thinking, even for just a second, this was anything but an amusing little distraction for the ice bitch. She clamored off the bed and grabbed her dress roughly.

Regina heard the shuffling sounds of Emma rising, her fingers pressed so hard into the desk in front of her one would think she meant to physically tear chunks of the wood out with her bare hands. It was taking everything she had not to beg the blonde to stay, to explore the "more" that still hung in the air between them, but this was the right thing to do. The terms of the wager had been met and this was for the best. _Bullshit._ Regina frowned at her hands and ignored the cleared throat behind her. This was the cowardly thing to do, and she knew it. Try as she might to push away the wanting she had felt not just over the last few hours, but over the last few days as well, her thoughts swirled between desire and resistance.

One night stands were not her thing but then, relationships were certainly not her thing either. _And where has that left you? With no-thing. _Regina's frown deepened. There was no explanation for this infatuation with the blonde. _Oh! More bullshit._ She winced in pain, her fingers digging harder into the wooden surface when almost thankfully her twisting stream of consciousness was interrupted by a sharp voice from behind her.

"Hey, Regina? Fuck you."

Regina whirled to face Emma, the look on her face a bewildered mix of shock and admonishment. "E...excuse me?" she stammered for a moment before falling back into the safety of her dom facade. "Miss Swan, neither your tone nor your vocabulary are-"

"Save it, _Mistress." _Emma's emphasis on the word dripped with disdain. "It's after midnight and your _pet_ has taken her leash off." While this may have been metaphorically true, Regina couldn't help but notice her _pet_ hadn't removed her collar as of yet. A twinge of desire twisted in her stomach at the glint of the silver heart in the dim light. Unfortunately at present, it didn't seem prudent to point out the overlooked accessory to the fuming woman before her. Clearly, Regina had been right in assuming Emma was only gritting her teeth and playing along through the whole experience. Based on her current mood, Regina had been a damn fool to have entertained any other inclination.

"So that's it? I'm dismissed?" Emma spit the final word at her like expletive.

Regina's brow furrowed at the question. Wait. Is this what she was upset about? That the game had ended what...too soon? She shook her head faintly at the idea that Emma could have in fact _not _wanted it to stop, but Emma took the almost imperceptible movement as an answer and stepped forward closing the space between them, the cold glint in her eyes fading.

"I'm _not_ dismissed?" Her tone indicating both confusion and interest. She waited a beat for an answer but Regina only met her gaze silently and held it. Fuck. This woman was a paradox of push and pull but dammit, every breathy little moan, the way Regina's mouth, her fingers, her body had felt against her when she touched Emma echoed in the blonde's ears and memory and she couldn't help but close the distance between them further. She could almost see the woman's pulse pounding beneath her skin and fuck, this was crazy, this was so over the line there would never be a valid excuse but there was no question of what she wanted either. Emma tested her perceptions. "Is there something else you require of me?"

There was no missing the way Regina shivered as Emma stepped forward one more time, so close she could feel the warmth radiating from the Captain's skin and damn it, why hadn't she put her dress back on? Her fingers twitched like they had a mind of their own to reach out and touch...anywhere. Emma couldn't have seen the twitch from her angle but perhaps the change in Regina's breathing and the flush on her neck gave it away and a tiny smirk took purchase on Emma's lips.

"Why mistress, I do believe you're blushing." Her smirk deepened as Regina tried desperately to get her brain to spit out a retort that instead came out of her mouth as a stammered squeak the likes of which Regina had never heard herself produce in her life. Emma's deep chuckle at the noise pulled a whimper from the brunette that was swallowed by Emma's mouth crashing against hers.

Emma's right hand slid up behind Regina's neck and her left grasped her hip holding her in place as she claimed her mouth. Regina, not used to being on the receiving end of aggression, fought feebly to reclaim dominance but failed in every attempt as Emma firmly pushed her up against the desk and held her there. It was time for Regina Mills to take some instruction and Emma had decided that she was just the person for the job. As she continued to explore the woman's mouth, their tongues gliding over each others, Emma used her hips to hold Regina in place and allowed her hands to slide down Regina's arms to her wrists. Taking a firm grip of each, she gently pulled them behind Regina's back and managed to lock them into one hand's grasp. The move earning her a low growl, she wisely broke contact with the brunette's mouth before her lower lip could be caught between Regina's teeth.

"Don't even think about it." Regina's eyes flashed with her warning but Emma just chuckled again.

"Already thought. Already executed." One arm still wrapped around her waist encircling slender wrists, Emma pulled Regina forward but side stepped quickly to allow her to pass. Regina blinked and the woman was suddenly behind her, one hand restraining her own, the other now wrapped around her throat lightly from behind. Emma applied pressure with her fingers to the left side of Regina's jaw line causing her to rock her head to the right and allow the blonde to claim a specific inch of skin she had been yearning to taste for days at the base of the brunette's neck.

Regina couldn't help but lean against the strong body behind her; even with her captured hands between them she could feel the warmth of Emma's skin pressed to her back. A long moan sufficiently communicated her approval of the attention Emma was giving her neck. It was a weak spot Regina never told anyone about and outside of a single former lover, and had never been given the attentiveness it truly deserved in her opinion.

Regina's encouragement spurred Emma's teeth to graze the spot in a playful nip, soon followed by her latching on and deeply sucking and it was only when an involuntarily wince and small gasp caused her to flinch that Regina tried to pull away. "Miss Swan, mark me and you're dead."

Emma detached and slid her open mouth up to Regina's ear whispering directly against her skin. "Oh. I'm so sorry. You should have put that in the contract." Emma smirked before sinking her teeth into the irresistible long neck muscle in front of her and slid her hand from Regina's throat to her opposite shoulder when Regina attempted to buck her off.

Regina growled again and Emma answered by dragging her free hand down from the brunette's shoulder across her breast making sure to pull each finger over the obviously hardened nipple under her shirt before continuing south. Stopping low on her taut stomach, fingertips just grazing an inch under her waistband Emma's smirk returned when Regina released a mewl of disappointment. The woman had done nothing but tease Emma relentlessly for days and she had the audacity to be impatient?

Regina loved to talk about control. Loved to _be_ in control and Emma reveled in the knowledge that making her beg might be easier than she suspected. She kept a firm grip on Regina's wrists and using her hip, spun her back around to face her, pulling her to within an inch of her lips. "Tell me what you need." Emma's eyes flashed with challenge using Regina's own words back at her and the brunette attempted to answer with a kiss, prompting Emma to pull away and issue a scolding.

"Ms. Mills, your lack of control is disappointing. Self-discipline is key in situations like this." Regina rolled her eyes and attempted to lunge forward again but was kept at bay by a hand placed on her throat once more. "Rolling your eyes is a sign of disrespect." Emma mocked Regina's earlier lecture. "I simply _cannot_ abide disrespect, Miss Mills."

Regina opened her mouth to snark back at the brazen words but her voice caught abruptly as Emma began to walk forward, pushing her backward by the firm hand around her throat. She had just enough time to admire the care Emma took to not to choke her, despite the hold she had on her, before the backs of her thighs hit the mattress, Emma dropped her hand to her upper chest, released her wrists, and shoved her hard enough she had no choice but to fall back on to the bed.

Hitting the mattress with a bounce, she tried to quickly scramble back further in an effort to make Emma chase her. Emma, however, was expecting the power move and grabbed Regina's legs just behind her knees, pulling her roughly back to the edge of the bed. Grinning at the light gasp she received at the move, Emma stood between those sinfully toned legs letting her eyes rake over the woman below her. Emma found Regina's gaze and held it, challenging her to break first, but she wasn't about to be bested so easily. The longer they held the intense stare, the more hungry each seemed to become and in the end it _was_ Regina whose hand raised up with a needy reach. Emma never broke eye contact as she dropped her upper body down catching herself with both hands on either side of Regina's head. Holding her lips just inches from the woman beneath her she demanded again, "Tell me...what you _need."_

Regina's hands found Emma's sides and snaked around her back attempting to pull her closer but strong arms held her away. Unthwarted, she raked her fingernails outward from Emma's spine to her ribcage in protest of the resistance and was gifted a deep hiss and smoldering glare in return.

"Would you like to know what _I_ think you need?" Emma gritted between her teeth, still working through the stinging lines on her skin.

Regina adopted a look of deep interest and then scoffed. "Oh yes. Please. I'd _love _to know."

"I think you need to learn to trust." Emma's tone didn't echo the sarcasm of Regina's. "Learn to give up control, even for just a moment." Regina recognized her own words from the previous day now used against her and God, there was something about the way Emma looked at her...it made her almost want to let go. Her brow furrowed slightly at her own admission. Regina Mills was submissive to no one. This was crazy.

"I…" She found herself at a loss for words not for the first time this week.

Emma studied the expression on Regina's face, her eyes softening, fully understanding the internal battle she was waging. "How about this?" Emma pushed herself up, gently grasped Regina's hands and pulled her to a seated position, then sank to her own knees in front of her so they were almost eye level. She let her hands glide up Regina's sides over the intricate pattern of her top and back down to her waist again. The second time her fingers traveled north she allowed them to graze lightly over her breasts, stopping to cup them and appreciate their shape. A small moan of approval escaped her lips before she continued her offer. "How about," her fingers found and released the first button of the bustier, "you relax," a second button was freed, "and just let me know," a third and fourth fastener became useless and Emma's eyes were transfixed on the deep cleft of olive skin plunging between two perfect breasts, "if it gets too cold in here for you." The final hold the garment had on Regina's body was lost and Emma's eyes drank in the perfection before her.

Regina had never needed or used a safe word in her life and found herself not quite knowing what to do with the offer. _Snow._ _Apple. Stop!_ The words screamed in her mind trying to convince her body not to respond. She had to regain the safety of control, to hold the offense, but aching need drowned out the internal din when Emma's mouth closed on a hardened nipple, slowly sucking and circling the bud with her tongue. Regina's fingers immediately threaded into thick blonde hair, pulling her closer with a long moan, unable to think of anything but the heat growing in her core.

Emma's mouth laved over sweet skin, nipping and flicking with just the right amount of pressure to keep Regina's fingernails demandingly pressing into her scalp. Even in submission she held onto scraps of control and it ignited Emma's desire to drag it from her vice grip. _More. _The word still clung to Emma's thoughts; she dragged her tongue in a slow line up to Regina's ear. "Let go."

And of course she meant of more than her hair but for the moment that's all Regina could manage. She untangled her fingers, dropping her hand to Emma's shoulder, tracing over the strap of her bra.

Emma placed a knee on the bed between Regina's legs, wrapped an arm around her waist, and in one motion pulled her up further into the mattress landing on top of her. Lips and teeth assaulted her elongated neck, one hand dragging down to Regina's breast again and rolling a nipple between her thumb and forefinger.

Regina rolled her hips up into the languid body hovering over hers, the attention paid to her breast and neck making the muscles in her core tighten and seek friction. They had been teasing one another for days and Regina was done with foreplay. Reaching up she moved to guide Emma's hand in a southern direction when a hard sting on her shoulder caused her to flinch and pull in a sharp breath.

Emma released the bit of flesh between her teeth only after Regina released her wrist. Raising her head to make eye contact, Emma growled. "I do not require directions."

"And I do not-"

"Regina?" Emma cut her off. "Shut up." She once again silenced the woman's protests with her mouth. Regina Mills was not used to being kissed this way. Gone was the submissive side Emma had shown her over the last few days. The sweet, slow pull, the meet in the middle; Regina had been allowed to conquer her mouth before but this time, this time was so different.

Emma dominated the kiss, demanding entrance, exploring and taking what she wanted. Her teeth captured Regina's lip hard enough to make her wince in pain, fingernails digging crescents into the blonde's back, but it only seemed to feed her hunger for more. Emma's hand roamed freely over the other woman's body straying near, but never close enough to her center to quell her frustration.

Regina's hands fell to Emma's hips in a desperate attempt to pull her closer, a knee just inches from where she needed to be touched. Regina was not used to being teased. When it came to her own desires, patience was most definitely not a practiced virtue. Unfortunately for her, her Captain seemed to be a huge fan of delayed gratification.

Emma broke the kiss and sat up, eyes smoldering as she removed the hands from her hips. Shifting to straddle her waist, Emma pushed Regina's arms slowly up over her head and held them there. "You have a choice." Emma spoke softly, once again hovering just a few inches above her. "You can keep your hands here and grasp the comforter or," a glint in her eye accompanied a drop in her voice, "I can show you some of the knots _I _know, and promise you no amount of _relaxing_ will free you."

Regina poured the urge to smack the smirk right off those lips into the twisting material in her fingers. The idea of being the one in restraints was not about to be entertained. "Good girl." Emma purred in her ear, all her weight leaning on straining but captive forearms and Regina mentally cursed herself as the smallest whimper, a sound so needy and pathetic it could not have possibly come from her, caused the woman above her to chuckle lightly. "Hm. Let's see if she can take as good as she gives, shall we? Now stay."

Emma found the side of Regina's neck again with her lips running hot, open-mouthed kisses down to her collarbone. Moving at a maddeningly slow pace, it was as if she wished to memorize every dip and curve of Regina's body. Teeth and tongue dragged over every newly discovered inch, revisiting the places that pulled the most seemingly unintentional gasps and moans from beneath her. Regina was doing everything she could to hold some of the control; to not give in to what Emma clearly wanted. She would not beg. She would never beg. But fuck, she moved so slowly, kept her knee just brushing so lightly against her center it almost seemed accidental, it was downright torture. It was downright euphoric.

Releasing a pebbled nipple with a tug and nip, Emma moved further south to appreciate the visible lines of each rib, Regina's back arching high in a nearly desperate attempt to guide her lower. She would have frustrated herself if it hadn't been so intoxicatingly empowering to feel the ice queen melting and squirming with need under her every ministration.

Time had lost all meaning by the time burning lips _finally _worked low enough to encounter the button on her leather pants and Regina nearly sobbed with relief as Emma's teeth made short work of the confining fastener. Fingers hooked into her panties as well, Emma made short work of the garment as well, tossing it on the floor behind her and lunging forward again. She placed a chaste kiss just under Regina's navel and then moved downward inch by inch detouring at the last second to pull her mouth along Regina's thigh and then stopped short her head twisting to the side sharply.

A fistful of hair caught in her tightened fist, Regina bit through a clenched jaw. "If you think your going to inspect every freckle on my legs before giving me what I want, you are sadly mistaken."

Emma smirked and carefully climbed back up over Regina who had not yet released her hold. "Unhand me. Now." Her tone and glare so sharp it seemed to cut right through Regina whose grip faltered just enough for Emma to grab her wrist and force it back over her head. "You want something?"

Regina's eyes burned back at her, dark with desire and fire. She _would_ not beg. "You know what I want."

"All you have to do is ask, Regina. All you have to do is tell me...what do you need?"

Breathing elevated, Regina internally raged against the power Emma seemed to have over her body. Never before had she felt the desire so strongly to give up the fight and yet so determined not to. Her lips set in a thin line, she forced herself to keep silent for fear of what would spill forth if given the opportunity.

Emma adopted a mockingly sympathetic pout. "Then I guess you don't _really_ need it, do you?" Once again lunging forward, she claimed Regina's mouth when met with further silence.

And she started all over again, working her way down Regina's body as if she had never tasted, her before this moment but for the secrets she seemed to know about where, and how hard, and how long to touch each sensitive inch of skin. This time more hungry, more aggressive; her hands raked across Regina's body, fingers grasping her every curve as if they were starving.

Regina's conflicting thoughts faded away slowly, losing her will to the fire that was Emma. The desire to touch and taste where Regina wanted her most was overwhelming, but still, Emma held back. Her fingers, beginning to stroke softly along Regina's center, became slick with dripping arousal before she even dipped inside.

Regina mewled with need rolling her hips into Emma's hand, but those gentle fingers pulled back, once again denying and delaying.

"Emma..."

A small grin pressed into Regina's neck. "Tell me." She breathed the command against her skin and traced a finger along her slit, dipping in a maddening half inch.

Regina growled and bucked unsuccessfully yet again. "Emma pl…" The word caught in her throat. Regina Mills did not beg.

The grin against her neck widened as Emma used her index and ring finger to part Regina's drenched pussy, then held perfectly still, hovering, waiting, until finally, surrendering to the moment, a whisper trembling with desire breathed against her skin.

"Touch me."

Emma's middle finger dragged a pressured line from entrance to clit, circling the engorged bud with purpose and the moan that filled the room was in tandem. Regina felt incredible. Exploring fingers traced over soft folds, returning to her clit over and over, stroking in rhythm with writhing hips.

_More. _Regina whimpered at the perfect cruelty as Emma's fingers stroked closer and closer to her entrance but refused to grant her what she craved.

Abandoning her grasp on the bedspread, Regina's hand clamped down hard on Emma's shoulder. "Emma," she gasped raggedly but no reward was given. "Emma." Her name was invoked in desperation now but to no avail. And then again. And again.

"Tell me."

"Please...fuck me." And as it turned out, Regina Mills _would_ beg.

Two fingers plunged deep inside her slick pussy while Emma's mouth claimed Regina's as her own. Playing just on the edge of teasing, she set a slow rhythm Regina matched with her hips. The heel of her hand grinding firmly against Regina's swollen clit with every few thrusts, she would push deep inside, holding until Regina's moans turned to pleading whimpers.

Emma's name was woven delicately between gasps and pleas for more. _More. _It took everything she had not to give it to her. This infuriating woman, this intoxicating, arrogant, despotic creature had awakened a heat and fire in her she never knew smoldered and she would melt Regina with it.

The bright handprint on Emma's skin having faded significantly already, Regina painted deep red lines into her back as slightly less ephemeral tokens of her desire. The gifts were returned with a trail of dark purple bruises along Regina's collar bones that made her squirm, clinging to Emma, unable to take, unable to control, held in suspension between restraint and release.

"Emma...please."

_More._

"I...please."

_More._

Penetrating deep green pools met desire darkened mahogany and gave the command once again without words. _Tell me._

"Emma, I need…" she surrendered completely, "you."

No grin of triumph or gloating smirk appeared at Regina's long sought admission, only the wet hot sweetness of Emma's mouth devouring her own as two fingers turned to three and a thumb found her clit in rhythm.

And it was more than Emma could stand: the heat, the hunger. She shifted her leg atop Regina's thigh, rutting against her, unable to stop herself from seeking friction. Her panties soaked from hours of arousal, roughly slid along Regina's leg in time with her thrusting.

It was almost animalistic, the way she rode her leg, and Regina had never felt so desired, so incredibly wanted in her entire life. As much as she wanted to touch Emma, feel her softness against her fingers, she craved her own complete submission even more.

Ragged breaths accelerating in unison, Regina's back arched off the bed slowly as she clung to Emma more desperately with each gasp and when teeth once again sank into dewy skin claiming ownership, it was enough. Every muscle in Regina's body locked, a moan catching in her lungs and she was coming. Waves of release washed over her as she cried out riding Emma's fingers deep inside her.

Despite witnessing a thousand sunsets at sea, Emma couldn't remember ever in her life seeing something as beautiful and seconds after Regina's climax claimed her, Emma's own followed with a wrenching cry of surrender.

  
_ ************* _

Regina didn't know how long they lay together, limbs entangled, breathing in unison. They had both drifted off in each others arms still clinging to one another, unable to speak, unwilling to break the spell after long moments of stolen kisses on salty skin. But now as she lie in the bed, the first dim glow of the sunrise beginning to light on the windows, the part of her silenced by Emma's touch had begun to gain its voice again. It was too intimate. She never should have allowed it to happen.

_Allowed… Right._

Regina frowned at her own sarcastic vacillance. How was it possible to want something and _not _want something so much at the same time? Emma stirred lightly in her sleep, pulling Regina closer to her like a favorite teddy bear. _Of course the bossy little Captain is a snuggler._ Regina rolled her eyes more at herself than Emma and told her inner voices to shut up for once choosing to succumb to the warmth of Emma's body not waking again until well into the late morning.


	10. Stay

Emma growled at the charts in front of her and dropped her nearly empty coffee mug hard on the console. "This is great, just fucking great." The colored swirls on the weather map indicating high pressure looked more like the bars of a jail cell to her than indications of a storm brewing. "There's no way we can risk this." She drained the last drops of liquid from the cup and slammed it back down with another expletive.

Tom shook his head slowly in agreement. "You know how fickle the weather patterns out here can be, Em." He took the eye roll he received in response in stride and added in support, "but yeah, this is gonna mean we have to push her back home pretty hard if we're going to make it back in time for our next charter." The setback was going to cost them big on the opposite end as far as resupplying and down time. The only saving grace was that as tired as their overworked staff would be, the rest of the crew would be rejoining and could pick up the slack for them. "Hey," He lay a hand on Emma's shoulder. "maybe the delay won't be _all_ bad." His eyes flicked to the window where Regina could be seen settling on the sundeck.

Emma followed his gaze, her lips curving upward briefly before forming a thin line again. "Hey Tom?" He lifted a bemused eyebrow. "Shut up."

  
**************

Warm sunlight streaming in the window of Regina's cabin about three hours ago had woken Emma around eight. It had taken her a minute to fully register the weight and warmth in her arms as she instinctively pulled it closer. _Shit._ What time was it? Judging by the angle of the sun, it was a lot later than she hoped. Gazing through sun-squinting eyes at the back of the head of the dozing woman in her arms she chuckled softly to herself. _So the ice queen is not only a snuggler, but a snorer._ Emma sighed knowing she had to move but not wanting to disturb Regina and even more so, not sure how to deal with the whole "morning after" awkwardness that was sure to dampen the leftover euphoria still clinging to her skin.

Taking just a few seconds more to inventory the pieces of Regina that seemed to fit so perfectly against her, she took one last deep breath of the sweet spice of her skin and carefully untangled herself smiling softly when Regina released an adorable huff but otherwise didn't stir.

Eyes darting around the cabin for her clothing, Emma spotted the now wrinkled dress on the floor and couldn't bring herself to put it back on. The sound of Matt and Taylor bumping around up above them brought reality back into focus quickly. _Shit. _She begged the gods that she could get out of Regina's cabin and back to her quarters without running into either of them or worse, a smirking Tom.

Emma opted for one of the White Witch guest robes hanging on the bathroom hook and cracked the door to the master stateroom open. Eyes darting to the steps and the hallway she had just managed to snick the latch shut behind her when her heart dropped to her feet.

"Oh, hey Ca-." Matt's greeting cut off as his eyes dropped to the floor and back up again along the obvious lack of uniform. "Uh…" A wide grin spread across his face. "I mean...Good. Morning. Captain. Swan." He enunciated each word with a slow, knowing widening of his eyes.

_Kill me now._ Emma's jaw dropped open to offer an excuse but no sound came out and Matt's grin widened further. "Mr. Barret." She found her voice as embarrassment masked itself with harsh impatience. "I specifically instructed you to check the connection in the master shower two days ago, did I not?" She prayed the creeping pink in her cheeks would be mistaken for frustration instead of embarrassment.

Matt's grin dropped instantly. "What? I…yeah, I told Taylor to-"

"Told Taylor? Perhaps if you had done what I asked yourself instead of shirking the responsibility I wouldn't be standing here in a robe!" _Yes, because the obvious solution to a wet shirt is stripping naked and donning a robe. You're a freaking idiot._ Emma tried to keep her face stern and not roll her eyes at her own ridiculous cover story.

"Matt." Tom's voice suddenly cut through the tension. "Why don't you get upstairs and help Taylor? He's managed to tangle the tow line in the anchor chain again." The relief on Matt's face was obvious as he excused himself and scurried off in the direction of the main deck. "Problem with the master shower, huh?" Tom wiggled his brow with a smirk as Emma's face deepened in color once again. "Yeah," he made a show of dropping his eyes to the black dress in her hand, "Your _uniform_ looks soaked."

"Shut up, Tom." Emma pushed past him with a growl ignoring the urge to smack the chuckle out of his mouth.

**************

You'd never know it looking at the sky above them, but way out in the distance the signs of the storm building directly in their path were obvious. Dark clouds and lightning could be seen like ink smudges on the horizon. Emma shook her head again and headed for the galley to prep an early lunch for Regina seeing as how she had slept in for the first time all week. A little smug smile painted Emma's lips for a moment at whose fault that may have been but as she finished making the salmon-topped salad and fresh fruit side her confidence wavered. Would Regina regret what they did last night or worse would she just be back to her normal icy self again? Maybe the whole thing had just been part of the wager after all and she had let Emma get carried away. Maybe it was just a distraction for her, something to amuse her on vacation after all.

Emma argued back and forth with herself as she headed up the stairs. She would have asked one of the boys to deliver the lunch had she not already been sure Matt had filled Taylor in on the morning ridiculousness and couldn't bear to see another smirk in her direction.

Regina lay lounging in the sun, on the deck. She knew she should check her email and phone but couldn't muster the desire to care at this moment. The disappointment she had felt upon waking alone weighed heavily in her thoughts as did the events of the previous evening. Dozens of questions and conflicting thoughts churned in her mind and when the doors to the interior opened with a woosh she nearly jumped in surprise.

Emma was back in her uniform of course, and busied herself setting the table. Regina's stomach growled at the sight of food but she stayed where she was, unsure of how to approach but then shook her head. She was acting like a timid child. Setting her jaw and straightening her spine, she rose and moved toward the table.

"I thought you might like an early lunch since you missed breakfast." Emma failed to make eye contact as she continued to play with the precise placement of the silverware.

"Thank you. This looks lovely."

Thank you? Okay, at least the ice queen wasn't back yet. Emma's gaze flicked up to meet Regina's. "Is there anything else you need, ma'am?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, echoing her repeated question from the night before.

"Ms. Mills will suffice for now." Regina lay a hand on Emma's arm reminding her the assigned moniker was no longer necessary. "You're free of your contract...as you made quite clear last night, dear." A familiar twist turned in Emma's core at the suggestive dip in Regina's tone and Regina took note of the immediate flush on her cheeks. "Captain, if anyone has the right to be shy in this moment, I'd think it would be me. You have my permission to own your victory." A slow grin began to take shape on Emma's lips when Regina's fingers suddenly tightened on her wrist. "But don't gloat."

"Didn't think I needed your _permission_ anymore." Emma's chuckle had a similar effect on Regina's center and she released her arm with a sharp intake of breath. Clearing her throat, she tried to change the subject. "I thought for sure we'd be out at sea by now. Are we delayed for some reason in our departure?"

"Yes. Unfortunately there is some weather that developed overnight and I don't want to risk getting caught in the storm. If things go as planned, we should be able to leave later tonight." Emma noted the crease in Regina's brow. "But don't worry, we'll push her through the night and I assure you we'll still make it back on Sunday as planned."

Regina nodded once, seeming to be thinking. Assuming the conversation over, Emma picked up the luncheon tray to leave but was stopped just short of the interior threshold. "Do you think…" Emma turned and waited for Regina to finish her thought but she simply waved a hand in dismissal of the idea caught on her lips.

"Do I think what?" Emma prodded patiently.

"Never mind. I'm sure it's… never mind."

Emma simply waited, keeping her eyes on Regina, head cocked slightly to the side.

Regina sighed realizing Emma wasn't going to let it go. "I was just thinking that if we're still going to be in port tonight I'd love to have dinner at that charming little house on the cliff again."

"Oh." Emma fought to hide the slight disappointment in her voice and then frowned at herself internally. She should be happy Regina was letting her off the hook for dinner; afterall she would probably need to keep a close eye on the weather and just because Regina didn't seem shy about last night didn't mean she would want to have dinner with Emma. They weren't dating all of a sudden. "_You have my permission to own your victory"_ Of _course _Regina had only been talking about the wager, she was an idiot for assigning any deeper meaning to the statement.

Regina studied the expression on Emma's face wondering for a beat about the crease etched in her brow when it hit her. "Do you think they'd be able to accommodate dinner for _two_ with such short notice?"

Emma's brow creased further, this time in surprise as her eyes lit up. "I...oh! I could...yeah, I think…" Regina laughed as Emma stammered and blushed again then shot Regina a playful look of frustration. "I'll make it happen." Regina grinned as Emma spun around and headed for the interior, knowing full well she heard the "Good Girl" murmured behind her.

**************

Nete dropped Regina off at the small white house around seven but this time there was little trepidation in Regina's exit from the car. She had been surprised Emma didn't take the ride with her but Matt had said something about her being busy with the port officials and she would meet her there. As she rounded the corner of the house, she smiled as Cote' appeared with her drink and led her to the small table on the patio, this time set for two.

Regina settled into the chair breathing in the sweet smell of the flowers along the cliff and the heavenly aromas coming from the kitchen. The sun was just beginning to lower enough to paint the horizon with pale pinks and purples as it dipped into the distant storm clouds. "My God, this view," Regina mumbled to herself in awe.

"Mmm. Almost as good as mine." Emma leaned against the corner of the house facing Regina, her back to the sunset. The many hued reflections off the water playing on Regina's skin completely mesmerized her and Emma would swear the word perfection to be an insult to the vision before her.

Regina turned with a smile that melted into a hot blush upon seeing the spellbound look Emma was giving her. Apparently Regina Mills begged _and_ blushed now.

Emma crossed the small patio and took her seat across from Regina, never taking her eyes off the stunning woman waiting for her. Cote' appeared placing small plates of ceviche in front of them, poured some wine and disappeared again.

The courses came and went, each one more delicious than the last but Regina would be hard pressed to name them as her attention was otherwise caught by the engaging woman seated opposite her. Emma asked all manner of questions about her job, her life, her family, and Regina shared the easy parts, glossed over the hard ones and cracked jokes at the impossible ones appreciating the fact that she never pushed, letting the conversation flow from topic to topic with ease, allowing Regina to change the subject as she wished.

The light faded around them slowly and Emma tried to ignore the dessert that indicated the end of their meal. Regina was similarly in no rush for their evening to end, captivated by the way Emma seemed truly interested in every word she had to say and that laugh...how had Regina missed it over the last few days? Emma laughed with a contagious freeness and lightness that Regina thought she could learn to adore. A shadow passed across Regina's face at the thought.

"What are you thinking?" Emma's hand found hers, their fingers intertwining.

Regina was thinking a hundred things but the shadow was the realization that there would be no time for her to learn to adore anything unexpected about Emma. Their time was almost over. She would go back to Vegas and Emma on to her other charters. Thousands of miles would separate them and the little voice had returned trying to remind her it was for the best. This was just a vacation, just a whim and as a whim she would put a stop to it before it got messy.

Regina shook her head and took her hand back. "Just thinking that we should probably head back to the ship. I'm sure you have a few things to do before we leave."

Emma flinched at the sudden change in Regina's mood. The mask had slipped back into place and she couldn't figure out why. Had she done or said something wrong? No. She was sure things had been going so well and then like a lightswitch, Regina had snapped out of the moment. _She's probably just tired. _Emma tried to reassure herself as she stood and offered a hand to Regina.

The mood during their ride back to the ship was muted. Emma made attempts to comment on the passing scenery a few times but was met with only a distracted hum from Regina's lips or a faint nod and soon lapsed into silence as well. She blamed Regina's stillness on the lateness of the hour once again and convinced herself it was a comfortable quiet.

Her hand rested on the bench seat between them, only inches from Regina's. Feeling much like a timid teenager, Emma tried to work up the courage to intertwine their fingers once again but when she slid her hand just close enough for her pinkie to graze her skin, Regina seemed to develop an itch on her nose and pulled her hand away, resettling it onto her lap.

Regina spent the thirty minute ride incessantly replaying the "it's for the best" speech in her head like a mantra. She was on vacation. This was just a whim. It was simply an amusing distraction. She repeated the words over and over in an attempt to drown out the "but then's".

Just a whim...but then why did it make her weak when Emma looked at her like that? Just a distraction...but then why did it make her heart beat faster when she played with her fingers so absentmindedly like a favorite toy? Just a diversion from the drudgery... but then why did it make her smile so fondly when Emma stole things from her plate with such open familiarity? _Stop this. _She pushed the voice away and steeled herself once again.

When they reached the dock, they boarded the ship together and Emma was unsure of what to do next. She didn't want the night to end but the voices in her head were getting the best of her after the long silent ride. Regina read the hesitation on her face and took advantage of the opportunity to escape into her cabin. "Thank you for dinner. I had a lovely time." She turned to go but was caught by the wrist and pulled back to face Emma.

She may not have known how to keep the evening going, but there was no way it was going to end just like that. Stepping into her space, Emma locked eyes with her and slid a hand up to cup her face. She gently caressed Regina's cheek with her thumb. "So did I." Leaning in, she brushed her lips softly against Regina's letting the pull between them build slowly before drawing her in deeper. This kiss bore none of the hunger and need of the previous night, it drew them together in slow motion, smoldering with promises of more and threatened to silence the doubts in both women's minds completely.

Regina placed a hand on Emma's chest and forced herself to gently push away. At a loss for words to explain, she kept her gaze on the railing beside them, though still able to feel the tension growing as flickers of confusion ran across Emma's face. _Just a whim. _Smiling tightly, Regina murmured a simple "goodnight" and retreated to her cabin leaving the captain alone with her thoughts.

**************

"I think we should go now or we'll be stuck here until Monday for sure." Tom stared intently at the radar and satellite images in front of them. The storm they had waited out had begun to wain as predicted but another one further to the south was threatening to grow into something even larger and its trajectory was still unknown. "I can push her up to about fifteen knots but only for a couple hours or she'll overheat. We normally don't cruise at more than eight or so…" Tom paused as Emma glared at him. "...which you already know cause you're the captain and not a moron." He apologized with a self-directed roll of his eyes. "I think if we can hit the outer islands before two in the morning, we can shoot the gap between the storms. I can't promise it won't be rough but I think we can avoid the worst of it."

Emma sighed deeply and refreshed the screen in front of them, frowning at the darker colors growing at the bottom of the screen. "You're right. If we don't go now, there's no telling how long we'll be stuck here, especially if they close the port like I think they will." Emma glanced at the clock which read close to midnight. "The charter guest is probably asleep and with any luck will stay that way until we are docked in Noumea for final fueling. Tell Matt and Taylor I want them both on deck until we're through this and to hold on tight. I'm not stopping to fish them out of the water."

Tom smirked knowing she was only half-kidding and chose not to question the "charter guest" formality of her previous statement. It was pretty clear dinner had not gone well based on the mood Emma was currently in. Weather could be a bitch but only one "bitch" seemed to have this effect on the Captain. He knew better than to push her when she got like this though. Space and professionalism usually brought her to the table for a chat and a cup of coffee so that's what he would give her and based on what they were looking at for their evening course, there would be plenty to keep her mind off whatever it was that had happened.

**************

Emma gripped the wheel of the boat tightly in her hands holding on course as best she could. It had been two hours and despite the wind and waves heavily beating into the White Witch they had made good time to the outer islands as planned. Unfortunately, the storm system in the south had already grown and while there was no rain in sight, the sea was churning with the distant disturbance. Emma thanked the gods for her iron stomach and actually felt bad for Taylor who at last sight was about eleven shades of green when she told him to drop a tow anchor to steady the bow.

As tightly as her hands held the controls, Emma found her thoughts wandering back to Regina repeatedly. The sudden shift at the end of there evening had been confusing at first but then when she had pushed her away and broken their kiss, Emma realized she had been right all along. It was just a game to Regina. And dinner? A consolation prize she supposed...which made no sense because she's the one who had won the bet but she chose not to dwell on that inconsistency. _She probably thinks it's funny._ Emma's knuckles whitened at the thought but then relaxed again as her mind spun back to the previous night. _She wasn't laughing then._

Back and forth the waves of clashing thoughts beat at her mind as the boat chugged and tossed through the night. None of it made sense and by four o'clock she was exhausted both physically and mentally. While the storm inside her had not quieted, at least they had managed to leave the one outside far behind in their wake and the ocean held the eerie calm of a lake before them now.

Tom appeared on the bridge looking equally exhausted. "That was amazing, Em." He dropped his cap on the panel. "_You_ were amazing."

Emma smiled fondly at her engineer. "Thanks. Team effort though. You kept the engine at speed way longer than you promised. You're a magician down there."

Tom nodded and smiled back at her. "Why don't you go on break for a few hours? I sent Taylor down looking like he was gonna puke a little while ago and I can take the watch for now."

"No, I'm fine. You take the break."

Tom placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. "You are not fine and I'm not going to take no for an answer so we can sit here and argue and then you can go, or you can just go now."

Emma opened her mouth to protest again but closed it when a brow arched in her direction. Giving a resigned sigh she made him promise to make Taylor take over the watch in a couple of hours and headed down the stairs.

_Do not check on her._ Emma repeated the command to herself all the way down the stairs and all the way through the galley and all the way through the crew quarters and all the way past her own cabin door and all the way back up the stairs and all the way up to the threshold of the master suite door.

Raising her hand to knock lightly she changed her mind considering the hour and tried the handle instead. _What are you doing?_ She was just being a good hostess and checking to see if her guest was alright. Nothing more. The door latch clicked free softly and she peered into the dark silence within holding her breath for a beat. Upon hearing nothing, she assumed Regina to be asleep and backed out again, pulling the door slowly closed behind her.

"Emma?"

Regina spoke the word so softly Emma thought at first she imagined it. Only when it was followed by another did she convince herself it was real.

"Stay...please."

She shouldn't. She definitely shouldn't. But there was something in the way she said it; something in the way her voice seemed to waver just a bit on the word "please" that had Emma crossing the room and sliding into bed with her before she could think twice. Strong arms wrapped themselves around Regina's trembling frame and pulled her tightly back into a comforting embrace.

Small kisses placed on the back of Regina's neck were met with shaky sighs and when tears started to fall from relief or some other deeply etched place, Emma simply brushed them away and squeezed the woman in her arms more tightly to her. If she had been less exhausted she may have whispered small reassurances in Regina's ear, she may have pulled carefully at the delicate threads of the nightmare that seemed to cling to the trembling woman, but instead she simply held her close and stayed.

Regina relaxed gradually as Emma's breathing deepened. In the quiet calm of the room, she could feel the strong rhythmic beat of Emma's heart pressed to her back and willed her own to slow in unison with long, even breaths. Drifting into a dreamless sleep, it was hours later that the sun brightened cabin once again came into focus, the absence of the warm body behind her a concurrent disappointment and relief.

Disappointment faded quickly however, as shame and embarrassment crept in; the echo of her request in the wake of the storm flooding back to her mind. Regina had acted like a child. The shadows of the nightmare she had dreamt a thousand times before had once again invaded her mind despite it having been years since its reoccurrence and when she had awoken from it, drenched in that familiar and skin-crawling cold sweat, the wind and waves beating and howling at the ship, she had let the panic and fear take hold like so many times before. _Pathetic. _She scowled at the ceiling.


	11. Thank You?

Emma stood on the bridge, a thoughtful line creasing her forehead. There she was. The laptop, the phone, and the notebook all back in place before her, Regina was completely engrossed once again in her work. Emma brushed aside the fleeting thought of shutting the wifi again. If the woman wanted to bury herself in the noise of her job, she had every right to do so. Emma was no stranger to hiding in the din of labor, often using work as an escape from her own churning thoughts. 'An idle mind was a wandering mind' and all that crap and yet, Emma wished she would face whatever it was that was bothering her instead of running. She rolled her eyes at herself; it seemed they both had their issues with that.

She could still feel the smaller woman shaking in her embrace if she closed her eyes, could still feel the stress and fear of whatever nightmare or unnamed fear had crept over the edges of consciousness loosen its grasp as she relaxed into her protection. A frustrated growl vibrated deep in Emma's chest. _And none of that really matters does it?_

Regina had risen late, refusing lunch via Taylor, and when Emma had delivered a drink and a light snack at around three in the afternoon, attempting a light-hearted joke about the weather, she had barely looked up.

It was coming on six now but Emma was avoiding heading to the galley. The intimacy of this morning after the rebuke of the previous evening had her mind spinning in circles again and she was tired of arguing with herself. It seemed Regina was the queen of ice _and _mixed signals and she needed to decide once and for all whether to push for answers or let it go.

She sighed, knowing she couldn't procrastinate any longer and called Matt to the bridge to cover the watch. This would be Regina's last dinner on board and despite the back and forth in her brain, one thing was for sure. This would be the best meal Regina had eaten all week; no short order considering dinner the previous night.

Regina cursed her own stupidity when she entered the aft deck to take her seat for dinner. Taylor had set the table for two, no doubt at Emma's instruction, and the last thing she wanted after a long day of catching up on the complete chaos Mary Margaret referred to as "under control" was to have to sit through an awkward dinner with Emma. _You're the only one making this awkward._ Regina pulled out her chair, sat, and played with the stem of her empty glass.

She was right. She hated that she was right. Emma had done nothing to make things awkward. It was Regina who had turned the mood the previous evening, Regina who had broken away from what had to be one of the most mind blowing kisses of her life, Regina who had behaved like a fool over some childish nightmare and passing storm. No, Emma had done nothing wrong. Nothing except perhaps making the mistake of playing with the black fire that was Regina Mills. Never let anyone get too close, right? God forbid anyone ever see the mess behind the curtain, right?

But that was the problem wasn't it? Emma had seen the mess, well, the tip of the messy iceberg anyway, and her reaction was..._perfect? _Regina wanted to bang her head against the table. Why was she doing this? This whim, this distraction, this unbearably infuriating woman had managed to tie her in knots over the course of a week like some lovesick child. She tried blaming the vacation, the rich food, the sea air; each excuse causing her eyes to roll. So distracted by her own self-loathing she was that she didn't even notice Emma enter the space until her glass was half full of an aromatic crimson liquid.

"Sangria." Emma offered. I know it's a bit pedestrian but I made it this morning and I think you'll find the notes of papaya and mint will complement the spiced pork nicely." She filled her own glass and turned to retrieve the domed plates from the tray behind her.

Regina recovered from her fog quickly and adopted her best board room tone. "I appreciate your offer to join me, Captain, but please be assured that I do not require babysitting this evening."

Emma had already placed her own plate down and now froze with Regina's still in her hand. So much for mixed signals. She couldn't get much clearer than that could she? So now what? Forced to face the final decision of fight or flight, a frustrated frown took purchase on Emma's lips as she pushed a long breath through her nose. Fingers tightening on the plate in her hand, the decision was rendered. Emma dropped the plate front of Regina with the loud clank of porcelain meeting glass and pulled her chair out. A small smile pasted onto her lips, she calmly regarded the woman across from her who suddenly resembled a caged animal.

Regina gaped, struggling to find another way to dismiss her unwelcome dinner companion when a slender, raised finger indicated instruction to hold that thought.

"I heard you the first time, Ms. Mills. I decline your offer, or perhaps it's more a plea, to dismiss myself."

Regina's mouth fell open, but Emma continued. "Now, as I was saying, the pork is spiced with a smoked cardamom, paired with a sweet, baby asparagus purée and roasted root vegetables touched with a local chili aioli. Due to the heavy flavors, I opted to forgo the appetizer for the evening. I'm sure you'll find my decision appropriate." She paused, taking her glass in her hand and offering it up as a toast to the meal. "Bon Appetit."

Regina continued to stare as Emma began to slice the meat on her plate nonchalantly. "Miss Swan, I…"

"Stop with the "Miss Swan" crap, Regina. I think I've earned the right to have you dispense with the formalities." Emma barely looked up from her dinner, keeping her tone conversational.

Regina took a deep pull from her wine glass, buying time to figure out Emma's angle. At a loss for words still and clearly not capable of convincing the woman across from her to leave, she shook her head and stabbed her fork into a stalk of asparagus.

"I do apologize that we couldn't allow you time to disembark in port earlier this afternoon, but as you noticed I'm sure, we were only there to top off the fuel for our final leg this evening." Emma swiped a potato through a bit of the chili sauce and gave an appreciative hum as she chewed.

"It's fine." Regina had barely noticed they had stopped today. If it wasn't for the noise of the harbor, she probably would have missed the hour layover completely.

"Mmm. Damn, this is good." Emma complimented her own creation and waited for a snarky retort about the origin of the spice rub but none came. "We should have a nice calm evening and be back in Brisbane before you awake tomorrow morning. Taylor will gather your things before breakfast and-"

Regina dropped her silverware on her plate with a loud clink. "Are you really going to just sit here and talk about the weather and pancakes?"

Emma calmly placed another bite of meat in her mouth, sat back, and regarded Regina for a long minute, chewing slowly. "Is there something else you'd like to discuss?"

Regina stared back at her, her lips forming a thin downward line. "You're being ridiculous, _Emma._"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Shall we discuss the price of the leather trade stocks or perhaps you're more interested in politics? You don't strike me as the religious type, although come to think of it," Emma thoughtfully placed a hand on her chin almost mumbling to herself, "I did hear you invoke the name of the Lord a few times the other night."

"You're hysterical." The sarcasm in Regina's flat tone would suggest otherwise.

"Well being as you clearly didn't want me here, why don't you tell me what it is that _you'd _like to talk about."

"Why are you doing this?" Regina's eyes fluttered closed with a sigh, and shook her head.

"Doing what, dear?" Emma blinked rapidly in innocence.

"This!" Regina's eyes snapped open again, frustration boiling to the surface. "All of this! Why are you being nice to me after what I did last night? I made it perfectly clear you were off the hook, the bet is won, you don't have to act like it meant anything...because it didn't."

Emma flinched back as if she had been slapped. _Act like it meant anything?_ _It didn't? _Why was she being so defensive if it meant nothing then? Why was she refusing to acknowledge what happened this morning? Yeah, she pulled away last night, but then what was that about just hours later? Was Emma supposed to simply ignore the way Regina had clung to her, first in desire and then in distress? There was nothing "nothing" about any of it.

"Why are _you_ doing this?" Emma bit back. "I'm "off the hook"? She air-quoted Regina's words back at her. "What kind of fucked up bullshit is going on in that brain of yours that you think for one second I was ever "on the hook" with you? You want to _act_ like everything between us these last two days was all to do with your ridiculous little bet, that's fine, but you're full of shit and we both know it."

Frustration inflated to anger and Regina moved to stand, jaw clenched, speaking through her teeth. The audacity of this woman to speak to her like this was unacceptable. "You will change your tone with me this instant, Miss Sw-"

"You know what? Do us both a favor and stow the dom act, _Ms. Mills_." Emma cut her off with a snarl. "You want to accuse me of acting? You're the one with the mask on! You're the one who panics every time you drop it for even a second. God forbid someone see behind the facade in the light of day, right? God forbid someone actually get a glimpse of the woman behind the bitch, right? How the hell do you do it? The amount of energy it must take to convince the world you've ripped your own heart out and locked in a vault somewhere must be exhausting!"

Regina rose to her feet now, cursing herself for the salty sting in the corner of her eyes as Emma's words ripped at her. No. She wouldn't have this. Anger was easier. Anger was the fallback. How dare this woman who barely knew her, had shared one meaningless night and a few meals with her, think she had the right to judge her.

"You think you know me? You think you have the right to tell me who or what I am? You're nothing. You're a distraction, a plaything." Emma backed up a step at the sneer on Regina's face and Regina moved forward like a predator cornering its prey. "You have me all figured out, right? And what? You're my knight in shining armor here to to rescue me from myself, is that it?" She stepped forward again, pushing until Emma's back hit the railing behind her. "Poor, poor misunderstood Regina, right?" The sarcasm dripped off her voice like poison on the tip of a blade. "Oh, save me, Captain Swan!"

"Stop." Emma nearly whispered. "Just stop." She reached forward carefully to cup Regina's cheek, ignoring the flinch from the sneering woman. This wasn't what she wanted. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. Why did she let herself snap back at her? She recognized the fury in Regina's eyes, had felt the same rage herself when pain threatened to surface. "Regina...it's okay. Just tell me what you need."

Those damned five words again. "What I _need _is for you to leave me the hell alone and take a hint!" Razor sharp words attempted to cut into Emma's sudden shift to softness, but she made no move to pull away, instead fixing her hand more solidly to Regina's jaw line.

"Tell me what you need." Emma repeated the words even softer, her thumb grazing Regina's cheek.

"Stop saying that. You don't..." Soft lips brushed Regina's forehead, dulling the knives of deflection she held onto so desperately. "Miss Sw-" A gentle kiss placed on her eyebrow and then on each cheek quieted her protests further.

"Tell me." Emma whispered against her lips and then finally, like a wave crashing over her, the stone walls Regina built so high crumbled, washed away with falling tears of capitulation.

"You." She breathed the word that all at once had thousand meanings and for the first time in her life, Regina Mills allowed herself to let go, surrendering into the arms of Emma, the arms that against all better judgement and logic somehow pulled her toward a place that felt like home.

  
**************

Emma finished buttoning her crisp, white dress shirt and affixed her epaulets. She grabbed her hat as she headed out the door to her cabin and pulled her walkie to her lips. "All crew, all crew, dress whites for guest departure in five minutes." She moved to return the device to her hip but snatched it back adding, "And Taylor, I swear to God if your shirt is wrinkled, you'll be doing laundry for the next three charters while the stewardess team eats bon-bons." She laughed at the practically yelped response of "Yes, sir!...Ma'am! Captain!" that squawked back at her and headed for the gangway.

She had torn herself from Regina's arms at four in the morning with grievous regret. Last night had been...well, there weren't really any words for what last night had been. They had found their way to Regina's cabin after long moments of holding one another on deck. Soft, slow kisses while Regina had cried in her arms had grown deeper and more passionate as Regina's tears had dried and hands began to explore.

Emma had worshiped Regina's body, mapping every inch and every curve with gentle fingers and a warm tongue and Regina had returned the favor, more than once. Where their first night together had been a raging fire of desire and domination, both women burning marks into each others skin; a night of claiming and taking, of conquering and submission, their second night had been the exact opposite. The fire was there, but this time it smoldered and grew slowly, stoked by each gentle touch, each press of lips to flesh, and the marks burned into their minds, into their memories, so much deeper and more permanently than any mark on their skin ever could have.

Regina had thankfully been sleeping when Emma had pulled herself away from the warmth of her embrace. If she had stirred, she was sure they wouldn't have been docked at this very moment as there was no way she would have been able to leave if Regina had asked her to stay again. And now, as Emma headed for the gangway she couldn't let herself believe this was goodbye.

Regina had slept through breakfast and despite the three times that morning Emma had tried to tear herself from the bridge to see her, she was unsuccessful, pulled back by some business with the docking officials. She prayed Regina believed Matt when he passed on the message that she was unable to escape her duties. So now what?

There wouldn't exactly be room for a discussion of where they stood on the dock, not with the boys standing right there with them. Plus, Regina's driver had already called and was waiting for her, so it was clear there would be no long drawn-out goodbye. But then...what? That was it? They just go back to their lives and forget this ever happened? Emma didn't think that would be possible, certainly not for her, and she hoped not for Regina either.

She checked her watch. Eleven-thirty. Shaking her head as she took her place on the dock to bid Regina farewell, she watched Taylor and Tom hurry down the gangway toward her. Matt jogged over from the car where he had been assisting David with loading Regina's luggage into the trunk of the sleek black limo and joined the line.

"Think we'll get a decent tip?" Matt huffed as he straightened his shirt and tie.

"Yeah right" Taylor mumbled half under his breath." You think the Wicked Bitch of the West is really gonna float us anything decent? Her wallet's probably as empty as her heart..." He trailed off as Emma locked her gaze on him.

"Considering the time off you were afforded this charter, Mr. Hudson, I'd think you'd be happy with whatever tip you receive." Emma stepped forward into his space.

Taylor straightened his tie, looking for a reason to break eye contact. "Yes, ma'am. I apologize. I was just...tryna be funny."

"Emphasis on the word _tryna._" Emma paused, waiting until he looked up at her again. "Perhaps if you spent as much time focusing on your yachting skills as your stand up act you wouldn't have to worry so much about your tips."

Taylor swallowed hard and nodded with another groveled mumble while a slow smirk crept onto both Matt and Tom's faces. Taylor was such an easy target for Emma and he never seemed to pick up on the mischievous little twitch in her left eye when she was messing with him.

"In fact, why don't we work on both next charter, then?" Emma continued sternly, not backing away even an inch. "I think we'll tell the girls to cancel the entertainment for the next guests since you'll be preparing a full evening of comedy for them while you're busy on anchor watch every night this week. How does that sound?"

Taylor began to stammer his way through a response that included a lot of desperate looks for help to his left and right until finally the grin on Tom's face grew wide enough for him to see. He snapped his jaw shut with a click and small disgruntled frown while the others burst into laughter around him. "You all suck."

"I am afraid I'd forced to disagree with that assessment, Mr. Hudson." Regina's cool inflection cut through their playful moment and all four snapped back to a more professional demeanor immediately. "Well, I didn't mean to break up the party." She smirked lightly as even Emma fiddled with her tie. "I was merely offering commentary on my experience this week, Captain." She took a step toward Emma.

"I'm glad we were able to meet your standards and make your week with us an enjoyable one." Emma tried to communicate a thousand things at once with her eyes but Regina's gaze remained neutral.

"Mmm. I don't recall saying all that." She reached up and plucked an invisible speck of lint from Emma's shoulder, rolling it between her thumb and forefinger finger with a look of distaste. "I suppose we can agree that the trip was...memorable."

Emma rolled her eyes and pasted on a fake smile. "Well, I guess I'm just glad it didn't suck then." What the hell was going on here? Is this really how Regina was going to leave, walls back up, bitch back on? _You can't be serious. _Emma practically screamed at the woman with her stare.

Regina ignored Emma's intensity and pulled a fat envelope from her black leather bag, handing it to her. "Just a little something to express my gratitude for your crew's hard work. I do hope you find it adequate to cover the inconvenience," she turned her gaze toward the boys, "as I'm aware this was supposed to be your week off."

A chorus of "thank you's" and "it was no problem at all's" went through the deck crew and Regina nodded and smiled before turning back to Emma. "Captain Swan." She reached forward to indicate a handshake which Emma reciprocated with a frown after a second of hesitation. "It's been a pleasure."

Emma's frown deepened as Regina turned on her heel and clicked her way down the pier toward her waiting car without a second look behind her. She glanced down briefly at the small rectangular card Regina had slipped into her hand._. I suppose I should be happy I scored her number? _She slid the card into her pocket with a roll of her eyes.

"I want everything ready for resupply in preparation for crew boarding this afternoon. Matt, when Paul and Jacqueline get here, tell them we'll meet at five for the preference sheet run down on tomorrow's charter. Tip meeting in one hour. Meet me in the crew mess."

"Well, the envelope looks fat enough." Taylor offered as he and Matt headed back up the gangway with a laugh, leaving Emma and Tom on the dock.

"You okay, Em?" Tom's heavy hand landed on her shoulder.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine." Emma lied unconvincingly. "Just another rich bitch charter guest come and gone, right? On to the next one."

Tom gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and offered a sympathetic look. "On to the next one then, Cap."

  
**************

Emma sat on the bridge quietly watching the lights of the city twinkle in the darkness across the harbor. The ship was quiet and despite the protests from her now full crew, she had volunteered to take the anchor watch for the evening. She never minded the late nights when she was a deckhand and still didn't now, even though it made for a long day to follow. Her mind wandered back to the crew tip meeting that afternoon and a smile flickered over her face at the flash image of all three guys' jaws hitting the table simultaneously. Well...two jaws and a mouthful of water to be precise. Matt had washed the table nicely with a fine spray from his lips when she dropped the sixty thousand in front of them. Fifteen thousand each. Regina had been true to her word. It was almost a wh0le season's worth of wages for each of them, earned in just one week. Emma reminded them to keep their mouths shut about it for the sake of the returning crew members and despite looking like they were going to burst, all three swore their secrecy while shaking their heads in disbelief.

She sat in the Captain's chair with her feet up on the control panel fiddling with the small rectangular card still in her pocket. Running her fingers over the smooth textured surface like a well-loved good luck charm. She didn't know why she hadn't pulled it out of her pocket all day. There was just something about knowing it was there that been enough but now here, alone in the quiet of the ship, she slowly tugged it from its keep. The dim light of the control panel lit the card just enough to see the dark purple ink contrasting with the lighter, almost lilac, background.

**Regina Mills  
** **By Appointment Only**

Emma shook her head with a smirk and flicked the card over expecting a seven digit numerical signature. What stared back at her, however, was simply a slightly raised, deep purple inked apple insignia with the words: "Thank you, Miss Swan" written in perfectly neat script across it. Her brow creased with a deep frown as she flipped the card back to the other side as if expecting something to have magicked its way onto the surface while she wasn't looking.

_Thank you. _Emma crushed the card in her fist with a wistful sigh and mumbled into the darkness. "On to the next one then, Cap."


	12. Epilogue

The final charter of the season had ended on a high note for the crew of _The White Witch_ and both they and the guests had broad smiles on their faces as the last farewells were said at the dock and the last crew tip meeting lined everyone's pockets nicely for their trips home. The rainy season would start soon and it would be four months until the ship returned to Brisbane. Much of the crew would be heading off to other ships in the Mediterranean or Caribbean area for the off-season or going their separate ways for other career opportunities. Normally, Emma would also have been moving north to pick up a few stand-in jobs for some contacts she had on the Greece and Italy routes but over the past few weeks she had come to terms with a strong need for a break from the whole industry. A strong melancholy she couldn't explain, or rather did not want to give voice to, had settled over her in the weeks since Regina had left and she planned to take the next four months off to reset her head and then make the decision on whether to return or not. Nick, of course, had been adamant that she just needed time off and that he was sure she'd be back at the helm in no time. She wasn't so sure.

The last remaining crew had finished their closing of the ship about an hour ago and now Emma sat with just Tom in the galley nursing a cup of coffee and waiting for word from port officials that the tug was ready to haul the ship into dry dock.

"Hell of a season, Em." Tom took a deep appreciative sip of Emma's special brew. "Damn, I'm glad you scored me a couple pounds of this stuff on this last run. Can't make it through the next few months with nothing but that horridly pretentious French shit Francois stocks on _Le __Pantoufle De Verre." _Tom practically murdered the French language as he pronounced his next assignments name with a mocking flourish and Emma managed a weak smile in return.

"Hell of a season, Tom." She agreed half-heartedly.

"Am I gonna see you back here in a few months or you hanging up the Captain's hat for a landlubber's job?"

I don't have an answer to that yet, Tom. I just need to get my head on straight. I need some time...and I'd really like to get started on that if the damn port would get their shit together and release that tug for-." A loud ring from Emma's phone interrupted her. Without looking at the number, assuming it to be the port officials she answered. "Captain Swan. You better be giving me good news about the tug, Jack."

"You're gonna kill me." It took a second for Emma to realize the voice on the line wasn't from the port director and place Nick's deeply apologetic tone in her mind.

"Wh...Nick? What happened?" Her concern quickly turned to skepticism as he apologized again but lacked sincerity.

"I really am sorry, Em. You've got to understand, I couldn't turn it down. And listen, it will basically be a vacation for you too. Just...not exactly in the location you had planned."

"What the...Nick! What the fuck are you talking about?" Emma tried to comprehend what he was saying as Tom's eyebrows lifted across the table.

"Listen, they paid triple, Em. Triple!"

"Who paid triple? For what?" She was getting agitated now and Tom reached out, gently squeezing her forearm to stop her from saying something she'd regret.

"It's a month long charter, Em. But listen! Don't freak out. You'll be docked in Fiji the entire time. The guest won't even be arriving until you get to the island." Nick went on to explain further that some insanely rich person had chartered the boat for the next five weeks and was apparently using the boat as their own personal hotel for the duration.

"We're not even leaving port? Isn't that kind of weird?" Tom whispered as he strained to hear the other side of the conversation from the speaker jammed to Emma's ear.

She gave him frown and a shushing gesture. "Nick, what the heck is this? I told you I needed a long break and now you expect me to babysit some group of drunken socialites with nothing better to do than throw their money away? I mean, not that the boat isn't worth it but geez, triple the rate has to be running them…" Emma released a low whistle as she did the math in her head. "And what the hell am I supposed to do about a crew? If I'm in port the whole time I'm not gonna need much but…" Oh fuck no, She was not actually contemplating this, was she?

"It's not a group, Em. It's just one guest."

"One person, ten people, it doesn't much matter, does it? I'm still stuck babysitting." Emma shook her head. Why now? Why a month? "I don't suppose you're going to take "no" for an answer here are you?"

"Em, I promise this is going to be a walk in the park. You'll be able to take a lot of time off to yourself as their won't be anything to do accept prep meals and look after one cabin."

"I'm sorry...How the _hell_ would that be something I'd have to worry about?"

'"Well, there's one little thing." Nick's voice got softer like he could feel Emma's hand ready to come through the phone to smack him. "Umm...the guest has asked, well insisted actually, that you be the only crew member on board for the duration of the charter."

"Have you lost your fucking…" Emma bit her lip as Tom's fingers clamped down hard on her arm. "You can't be serious? You want me to do a month of head chef and stewardess duty?"

Nick sighed on the other end of the line. "I know, I know. I promised never to do this to you again, but they insisted. I did explain to them though that there would be an engineer boarding the ship once a week for maintenance checks and they agreed to that. I'm also hiring a night anchor watch for you for security. They'll board the boat every night at ten and be off the ship at six the next morning. That's also been agreed to."

"_Agreed_ to? It damn well better be agreed to. There's no way I'm doing anchor watch all night, port or no port, and then serving meals and cleaning a cabin every damn day."

"Is that a yes?" Nick's tone was cautiously hopeful.

Emma growled low in her chest contemplating her options. She could say no. She really could. He could hire anyone for this, it didn't have to be her. But she knew Nick; as much as he appreciated her and treated her with respect, the bottom line was always the bottom line with him. He'd move on and replace her easily and his only regret would be when he realized how much he was paying her for years instead of finding someone fresher and cheaper. Fucking Nick. Why couldn't she just know for sure if she wanted to come back or not? _Fuck me. Just fuck me so damn hard._ She couldn't burn this bridge yet.

"Fax me the fucking preference sheet."

  
**************

Emma sat in the galley, leg bouncing up and down impatiently. She had pushed the ship, with it's skeleton crew, and gotten into port two days before the charter guest was set to arrive. She had hoped to send ahead to have the ship stocked upon arrival but despite his constant promise of "it's coming", she was still waiting for the preference sheet and now the guest, still yet to be named, was due to arrive in a few short hours. She cursed under her breath and hoped whoever this guy was, he wouldn't mind take out for dinner tonight. She had already ordered ahead from the local fish market and thrown in a filet to be safe. Who the hell didn't like surf and turf, right?

She stared at the corner of the room where the fax machine sat in a small alcove willing it to begin printing. Why he couldn't email her the damn thing, she'd never understand, but Nick was old school when it came to technology. As boarding time drew closer, she couldn't take it anymore and went to go check on the guest cabin for something to do while she waited. This really wasn't going to be a difficult charter if she played it right. She had insisted on an unlimited food budget since Nick could afford it on the guests payment, and planned on ordering out often to save herself long hours in the galley. She had a list of all the best places in town and knew many of them well enough to know what would be up to the standards of just about anyone. As long as this guy wasn't a massive pig, she could probably get away with one sweep of his room a day besides turndown and doing laundry no more than once a week. Straightening the towels a third time, she headed back to the galley, praying to see a sheet of paper or two had been spit out of the fax.

Rounding the corner into the galley, she almost jumped for joy as the last page of the (_four pages!)_ preference sheet was printed into the tray. _Fuck._ Emma grabbed the stack of papers and frowned deeply. This was one person, who the fuck needed four pages to list off some food and meal time preferences? Emma headed up to the aft deck to read the report, having a feeling she was going to need the fresh air. Beginning to read through the requirements, the corners of her mouth dipped deeper before slowly, ever so slowly, they began to curl upwards as the list went on and on through thread count, wine and coffee requirements. A sudden sharp click landing on the top of the stairs behind her, broke her lips into a wide grin.

"Is it not customary for the Captain of a ship to greet their guests on the dock?" The deep timbre of the biting tone behind her was unmistakable, as was the slight smile behind the admonishment.

Emma's grin widened further as two arms encircled her from behind and soft lips brushed her cheek with a chuckle. "Take those _fucking _heels off on my deck, woman."


End file.
